Aftershock
by silverknight426
Summary: Two years have passed since the end of the 5th Holy Grail War. Now, a new menace appears in Fuyuki in the form of rogue Servants. Will Shirou and his friends be able to destroy the new menace troubling Fuyuki?
1. The War begins

Hi! This is my first fanfic for Fate/Stay Night so please go easy on the comments.Other than that, I hope you like the fic!

**Synopsis:** It has been two years since the end of the 5th Holy Grail War. Shiro Emiya, past participant and victor of the previous Holy Grail War, now lives peacefully with all his friends. Unbeknownst to him, a new menace rears its head in Fuyuki City. Severals attacks by rogue Servants are brought forth, spreading chaos and disaster in Fuyuki City. It's now up to Shiro and his friends to sort this mess once again, but will they be able to survive the ordeal this time around with no masters to restrain the rogue servants?

**Chapter 1: The War begins  
**

* * *

The bright moon shone over Fuyuki city that night. The stars shone brilliantly alongside the bright moon. The winds made sounds calming enough to soothe one to sleep. The people passing, crossing the busy streets of Fuyuki was not mesmerized by the splendor of the calmness. But not all were this ignorant. A particular boy was enjoying the serenity while it lasted. 

"Hey Shirō!" shouted Ms. Fujimura, calling his attention from the dinning room. "Dinner's ready! Sakura's been through a lot of trouble making this so you'd better hurry up!"

"No, not really!" retorted Sakura at once. "It was no trouble at all!"

"Oh dear, there's no need to be modest!" replied Ms. Fujimura. "Shirō and I know you've been hard at work trying to make such a fabulous feast!"

The door swung open and a boy having hair the shade of orange entered. Taking his usual seat opposite Sakura, he took his bowl and passed it to the purple haired girl.

"So Shirō, when are you planning to find a girlfriend," asked Ms. Fujimura suddenly, one eye closed and the other deliberately looking at the blushing Sakura on her left.

The sudden question surprised Shirō himself as he started choking on the rice and fish he had just swallowed. It took a few moments of coughing before he was able to properly speak.

"What brought that on!?" he asked, surprised to say the least.

"Oh, nothing," replied Taiga. "It was just… a boy at your age should be dating and not wasting the summer break staring at the clouds during the day and the stars at night"

"I thought you were here to look after me, not dictate what path my love life should take," said Shirō as he resumed eating.

"That is part of my job, to see to it that you take care of yourself not only physical and mentally but socially as well. I can't have you mopping around the house all day!"

"Not to sound rude or anything, but this _**is**_ my house so I am entitled to do whatever I want"

"Take Sakura for example," she said, ignoring Shirō's last comment. The girl in question was already blushing furiously, her bowl of rice untouched. "She's a young, beautiful, sweet and caring girl. You two should take a day to know each other better. That way, both of you won't have to be stuck at home doing nothing"

"So you're saying that we should go on a date!?" exclaimed Shirō, shocked at the implication.

"A date? That never crossed my mind!" said Taiga, feigning innocence. "But since you brought it up, I think you should do it on Saturday! You should start making plans…" said Taiga. Shirō stopped paying attention to her and wondered where on earth Ilya was.

"Hey Sakura," whispered Shirō, calling Sakura's attention. After momentarily composing herself, she faced Shirō.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Have you seen Ilya? It's not like her to miss out on dinner"

"Hmmm… Come to think of it, she said she was going to the park. I don't know what's taking her so long," said Sakura, fretting something might've happened to her.

"I'll go and check. I'll be back in a few minutes," said Shirō. He stood up and exited the room, Taiga ignorant of the situation and Sakura worrying something might've happened to Ilya.

* * *

"I wonder what she could be doing in the park?" asked Shirō to himself. He quickened his pace towards the park, hoping she was truly there and not in grave danger. As he arrived, he saw no one there except for a two women that were passing by. 

"Where is she?" he asked, running around the park in hope of finding her. He was starting to worry. The thoughts of 'What if something happened to her' ran across his mind over and over again, a new scenario building up with each passing moment.

He ran towards previous landmarks he had seen and went to during the 5th Holy Grail War. They were not sights to behold but were the only places he knew that she might have gone to.

He checked the school, the church and was actually planning to check Ryūdōji temple until he saw a small figure near the bridge where his date with Saber had gone wrong.

"_Saber" _he thought. It had been nearly two years since their last meeting. That bridge was the most important landmark to him in Fuyuki City.

"Ilya!" shouted Shirō, running towards the small figure he saw. She did not respond to the name. This made Shirō particularly crestfallen since it might not be her. Then again, he tried once more, moving closer to her.

"Ilya!" he shouted. He was relieved of all worries when she faced him, her features highlighted by the moon's light.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" she whispered, almost inaudibly. Shirō was unsure of what she was referring to. He did not reply to her question. Instead, he moved closer.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked gently and softly. Ilya looked up into the sky. Her pensive expression changed, forming one of seriousness and formality.

"I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about tonight. There's something ominous in the air."

Shirō could not reply. Moments ago, he felt serenity, nothing ominous. But now he was unsure.

"I'm not too sure about the ominous feeling you have…" said Shirō, facing the moon in the sky. "…but whatever it is, we'll face it as best we can," he finished, determination and assurance present in his tone.

Ilya turned to Shirō, giving him a small but content smile. He returned the smile and offered to take Ilya's hand.

"Come on, the food Sakura made must be getting cold. We'd better hurry up if we want to be able to eat dinner. Ms. Fujimura has probably devoured everything"

Ilya gave a soft chuckle and took Shirō's hand.

"Yeah, that pig doesn't know when to stop," she added, now smiling a full smile. Shirō could do nothing but mimic her.

"You'd better not call her that," he said, half-heartedly.

* * *

"Where have you been!?" exclaimed an angry and worrying Taiga. Sakura was behind her, looking relieved. 

"Are you alright, Ilya, Shirō?" asked Sakura. Shirō merely nodded at Sakura's inquiry as he was berated by Taiga.

"How dare you make me worry like that!? Don't you know….!? If Kiritsugu ever…!?" ranted Taiga continuously. She ended her rant with Shirō after Ilya spoke up.

"I'm hungry," interrupted Ilya. Taiga redirected her focus from Shirō to Ilya.

"And you! How dare you make us worry like that!? You could've been captured, tortured, held for ransom even! Why didn't you come back home before the sun set!?"

Ilya was about to give her response when suddenly, the lights started blinking on and off. There was a sudden silence. When the lights finally turned off, Taiga started to speak.

"Shirō, grab the flashlights. It looks light there's a black-out. I just hope it won't last long".

Ilya suddenly held Shirō's hand more firmly, fearing the worst.

"Don't worry, it'll be -" Shirō was not able to finish the sentence as half his home blew up, a large amount of debris left.

"It's good to be back," said a voice in a tone Shirō knew all too well.

"Gilgamesh," he whispered, looking from Sakura to Taiga and finally Ilya.

"Let's go Shirō, we'd better leave!" exclaimed Taiga, pulling on both Sakura and Shirō's sleeves.

Shirō was too lost in thought to care where he was being dragged. He had to comprehend why Gilgamesh, a servant, was here. Had he and Saber not destroyed the ill-forsaken Grail?

Only upon reaching familiar household did he start to grasp the reality that appeared before him.

"Rin's house?" he asked, perplexed at the idea.

"It was Sakura's idea. Seeing you were in a state of shock and all three of us agreed this would be best, we came here," explained Taiga.

"Sakura, ring the doorbell. I'll keep watch in case that… whatever that was comes here"

Shirō started thinking about it. What was Gilgamesh doing here? Had the Grail somehow returned and the 6th Holy Grail War was starting once again?

Shirō was momentarily cut from his train of thought when a sleepy Rin Tōsaka opened the door to her estate. She was surprised to see the four of them at her doorstep in the middle of the night.

"What are you guys doing here?"

* * *

"Listen Rin, have you felt anything unusual today?" asked Shirō as the sat on the living room sofa. Instead of listening to Shirō, Rin and Ilya's conversation, she was busying herself by tinkering with numerous miniature figures that were neatly placed on a table opposite the three's direction. 

"Not at the least, why?" she asked, listening intently to Shirō.

"It's about Gilgamesh. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere and destroyed half my house," he whispered.

"What!?" gasped Rin. She looked to Ilya for a hint that this was some kind of joke. Ilya merely nodded, confirming Shirō's tale.

"But how can this be possible?" asked Rin, leaning on her chair.

"Is it possible for the Holy Grail War to have started prematurely once again?" asked Shirō.

"If that was the case, then we would've at least sensed additional magi in Fuyuki. And besides, why would Gilgamesh attack your house? Haven't you two made peace already?"

"Maybe he had a change of heart or something? I don't know," replied Shirō.

"Well, as of now, that's our best theory. The sudden destructive appearance of Gilgamesh couldn't have been by chance," said Ilya, joining the conversation.

"I was also wondering what he meant when he said 'It's good to be back'" added Ilya.

"Maybe he was referring to being back in fighting?" suggested Shirō.

"Probably… we'd better check it out," said Rin. "I'll just change my clothes and we'll be on our way".

* * *

"What did you tell Sakura and Ms. Fujimura?" asked Shirō as they were running towards the Emiya residence. 

"I'll tell you later," she said, giving him a wink and a sly smile. Ilya merely grunted at her reply while Shirō followed the two females, dumbfounded.

When they arrived at the Emiya residence, they saw nothing but ruins of the house. Wood was burnt, window glass shattered, nothing was left standing except for a few trees at the far back.

"He really went all out," said Rin a surprised tone.

"I knew you'd be back," said a voice in a haughty manner. From the shadows, a warrior wearing gold armor stood. There were neither weapons held by his hands nor allies beside him. He gave the false pretense of vulnerability.

"So, what'll it be? Do you want to die by my sword or would you rather I obliterate you completely?" he asked.

"What are you doing here, Gilgamesh?" shouted Shirō, moving a step forward.

"Are you objecting the presence of the King of Heroes?" he asked arrogance prominent in his voice.

"As a matter of fact…" he started, a pair of blades appearing from his hands. "I do," he finished, the famous Kanshō and Bakuya at his ready.

"You dare raise a sword to the King of Heroes," he mocked, opening his Gate of Babylon.

"You sound a lot more conceited than you normally are," replied Shirō. Ilya and Rin were by the sidelines, deciding on the best course of action.

"If Shirō keeps this up, he'll die," said Rin, worrying on how the battle might go.

"It's true. No matter how skilled Shirō is, it's impossible for him to defeat Gilgamesh," added Ilya, the marks of worry etched on her face.

"So, are you prepared to die, mongrel?" asked Gilgamesh haughtily. Shirō frowned.

"Oh, I don't think I'll die tonight," replied Shirō, charging at Gilgamesh with great speed, Kanshō and Bakuya at his sides.

"Oh really now…"

Gilgamesh drew from his Gate of Babylon a weapon of basic design. It had a plain blade and gold hilt yet seemed to emit a powerful aura.

"Merodach: The Original Sin," said Gilgamesh as he countered Shirō's offensive maneuver.

"This sword…" he said, charging a Shirō. "…was the model…" In one swiping action, he managed to make Shirō fall to the ground, Kanshō and Bakuya were only able to ease the impact. "…for Caliburn, I believe".

Shirō stood up and frowned. _"What is he getting at? Caliburn? That's King Arthur's sword – so does that mean he's referring to Saber?" _thought Shirō.

"I see…" he said. He suddenly threw Kanshō and Bakuya into the air, unknowingly imitating the way Archer threw Kanshō and Bakuya at Berserker at the night of his death.

"Are you referring to this one?" he asked as Gilgamesh fended off the twin blades. Shirō was now wielding the sword he and Saber used to defeat Berserker.

"Ah, Caliburn. This should be interesting…" said Gilgamesh and he dashed towards Shirō. Shirō did the same and their swords met half-way.

"You're not bad with swords," said Gilgamesh as their blades grinded with each other, forcing the other to submission.

"I'd say the same, but that isn't your weapon of specialty," replied Shirō as he gathered his strength and forcibly pushed Gilgamesh through use of Caliburn. Gilgamesh, surprised by the surge of power, was pushed back slightly, avoiding his fall by jumping and landing on his feet.

"That is true…" he said. He swiftly threw the sword to Shirō, injuring his left arm as he narrowly avoided the assault.

"I guess evasion isn't your thing," said Gilgamesh as he drew from the Gate of Babylon Ea, his godly weapon.

"Time to perish, Shirō Emiya!" shouted Gilgamesh. A tremendous amount of force could be seen materializing. The air was being twisted and drained as a purple colored, twister-like energy gathering at the tip of Ea, Gilgamesh's weapon.

"Enuma…," started Gilgamesh, a broad grin visible on his face.

"Take this, you vile beast!" shouted Rin as she threw five of her magical jewels at Gilgamesh.

"What the -" said Gilgamesh, distracting him and canceling his Noble Phantasm. Rin was standing atop a tree Gilgamesh failed to destroy. Ilya was beneath her, looking at him with contempt.

"Don't you dare hurt Shirō!" shouted Ilya. Shirō, taking this opportunity to strike, assumed battle position and charged at the burnt Gilgamesh.

In one slash, several things happened. To his dismay, Gilgamesh was able to block Shirō's attack. Also, a new figure arose and attacked Shirō as he clashed swords with Gilgamesh.

"Who was that?" asked Shirō as he stood up, Caliburn abandoned as he had no idea where it went.

"Darn, I didn't hit anything," said the figure, clearly ignoring the fact that Shirō had been hit and was now a few meters from his previous position.

"Who are you?" asked Gilgamesh, surprised at the appearance of another servant.

"Why in the world would I tell you?" asked the figure, staff ready to attack. "Regardless, take this!"

A burst of ebony black energy shot forth from the figure's wand in a lightning-like manner, striking Gilgamesh and propelling him near Shirō's location.

"Sad to say, but I must do this. I need to destroy you, Gilgamesh. Only then will I have peace of mind," said the mysterious figure.

"Scylla!" shouted the figure. At the wave of her staff, a large monstrous creature appeared before them.

"Shapeshift!" she added, pointing her wand at the lifeless body of Gilgamesh. In an instant, Gilgamesh shone a bright blue and was transformed into a golden pig.

"What the -?" said the astonished Rin. Surprised at the sight of a lifeless pig, she stood in awe at the person standing at the gateway of the Emiya household.

"Scylla, I order you to destroy these wretched creatures," said the figure and disappeared as fast as the wind.

A loud, growling sound was heard from the beast suspended in mid air. As her master departed, her legs stood ground.

"Scylla… I think I've heard that somewhere before," said Rin, thinking hard about the monster.

"I don't think this is the best time to be contemplating on what Servant summoned that creature. What's more important is getting us out of here!" said Ilya as calmly as she could as they faced doom. The beast roared once more and started her assault at the bodies before her.

"This is not good," said Ilya, looking at the beast. Both she and Rin had to jump to evade the lightning fast attack the creature had delivered through use of her head.

"Leave this to me…" said Shirō suddenly as he stood up. He was wobbling from side to side so Rin and Ilya had to support him.

"Are you really that determined to get killed!?" asked Rin, aghast at his suggestion.

"I am that determined not to get you killed. I can handle this," he said as he stood firmly on the ground. He started tracing Kanshō and Bakuya once again to take care of the beast.

"You'd better go, now," ordered Shirō. He advanced towards the beast, Kanshō and Bakuya ready for battle.

"Take this!" he shouted, throwing the twin blades in an Archer-like fashion. He, once again, traced the same pair of blades and threw them like the first.

The sets of blades hit Scylla and caused her pain. But instead of weakening, her attacks were a lot fiercer and faster as two almost hit Shirō but instead disturbed the earth and cement path.

"Darn, I can barely damage this beast," he whispered. He suddenly saw a pair of jewels being thrown at the beast. He faced the magi that threw the magical jewels.

"Rin, what are you still doing here!?" asked Shirō angrily.

"We couldn't just leave you behind," said Ilya from behind. Rin started firing hazy black orbs from her finger.

"Keep trying, Shirō. Try tracing Excalibur," suggested Rin as she fired a wave of hazy black orbs from her finger. Her numerous barrages were doing little damage to the summoned beast but she was persistent.

"Okay…" said Shirō. He ran towards the beast, the legendary sword being traced in his hand. But just before the blade had finished, the beast hit Shirō squarely on the chest and he flew and landed just beside Rin. The beast was also able to retaliate and hit Rin through a yellow-green blast emitted from its mouth. She was only able to weaken the impact by dodging it unsuccessfully. The blast was also able to hit Ilya, an aftershock no doubt.

"What do we do now?" asked Rin, severely weakened by the blast. Shirō had no idea what to do next. His unsuccessful attempt at launching an attack proved fatal to all of them.

"I don't -" he started. He barely finished when he heard someone say something from behind Scylla.

"Excalibur!" shouted a female voice that Shirō and the rest knew very well.

The blast caused by the weapon Excalibur hit Scylla directly. The beast dissolved into light, all traces of it gone. Afterwards, a female knight wielding her weapon with two hands appeared.

"Saber" said Shirō in amazement, her face as he imagined it would still look like.

* * *

So that ends Chapter 1!  
Anyway, I hope this was okay and please tell me what you think of it! Please Read and Review ! 


	2. Clash of the Kings

Okay, this is chapter 2 of Aftershock. I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed the story. I hope you enjoy this second chapter as well. Oh, and please please tell me what you think (areas to improve, spelling / grammar mistakes, storyline changes, etc...) so I'll know how to adjust! Thanks

* * *

**Chapter 2: Clash of the Kings**

The mythical beast faded into light and the figure of a female warrior slowly emerged. Holding her sword with such intensity, she was at battle position. Although her face was trickling with sweat, she was still a glorious sight to behold under the moonlight.

She slowly let down her guard, taking a moment to draw in much needed air. In a flash, her armor and weapon disappeared.

"Isn't that -?" suddenly asked Ilya but stopped at mid-sentence. Her head had been throbbing and she could do nothing to ease it. Rubbing it seemed to intensify the pain so she stopped.

"Saber," finished Shirō in a trance-like state. He had not seen her in a while so he was still trying to grasp the reality that she was actually there.

"I was wondering when she'd get here," said Rin a slightly weak tone. She had just gotten up from her fall and was trying to decide whether standing up was actually a good idea. Nevertheless, she made her advances towards Shirō and helped him stand, seeing he had gone through a lot during the fight.

"Thanks, Rin," said Shirō in gratitude.

Saber started walking towards the three, a look which was ominous to those with functioning eyes.

"What do you think you were doing!?" shouted Saber loud, slow and clear. Shirō and Rin had to cover their ears to protect them. With or without a weapon, her wrath was still to be feared.

"Do you mind scolding Shirō at a later time? My head hurts so much already and I don't want to add to that," said Ilya, trying to repel the pain but was failing.

"Fine, we'll go back to my house and try to find something for that headache of yours," said Rin. She walked towards Ilya and took her hand, leading the way. Ilya gratefully followed, along with Saber and Shirō, both at a distance from each other.

* * *

"What happened to you!?" exclaimed Taiga as she saw the slightly ripped clothes of Shirō, Ilya and Rin. She also noticed the pained expression of Ilya. Additionally, she also saw Saber but thought to inquire later about that. 

"Long story. Do you mind getting something for Ilya's throbbing head?" said Shirō.

"I'll go get some ice for Ilya. Is there anything I can get you Shirō?" asked Rin as started moving towards the kitchen.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to sit down," replied Shirō.

"Hey Sakura, can you help me out here?" said Rin as she made her way to the kitchen. She was staring at Shirō's weakened figure curiously. She nevertheless followed Rin, albeit hesitantly, into the kitchen.

"Now, tell me where you were and what happened," said Taiga as she seated herself on Rin's armchair and. Ilya was on the couch, opposite Saber and Shirō, lying down.

"Well…," started Shirō. He did not know what to say at a moment like this. It seemed stupid to tell her he was battling two servants, beings with superhuman powers, and a mythical beast.

_"What should I do?" _he thought. An idea suddenly came to his mind. _"I'll just go with what Rin's story was!"_

"Whatever Rin told you," he said, closing his eyes and nodding his head in affirmation. Sadly, this victory was short-lived.

"Rin didn't say anything! We found ourselves asleep until you got back!" exclaimed Taiga.

_"So she used magic…" _thought Shirō grimly.

"Well… er… we went back to the house…" he started but was interrupted by Taiga.

"You did what!?" she shouted. Saber was sitting calmly beside Shirō though she could feel Shirō's tenseness.

"Well, I had to get something very important…" he continued but was once again interrupted by Taiga.

"Couldn't it have waited until this morning!?" she exclaimed, furious at Shirō's stupidity. "There was… was… whatever it was… chasing us! How could risk your life just for a mere thing!?"

He was saved from Taiga's onslaught of words when Rin and Sakura returned with an ice pack, tea and two platters of sandwiches.

"Snacks are here!" announced Rin cheerfully. "Oh, and here you go Ilya"

She gave the ice pack to Ilya who was still lying down on the couch, half-asleep.

"Thanks, I just hope this goes away before anything else happens," she said as she placed the ice pack on the part of her head that was throbbing with pain.

"Well then, I'd really like to know where you guys have been," said Taiga, forcing the last ounces of patience to dissolve her bubbling anger.

"Well, we went back to the house because I forgot something very important. We were, as you may have guessed, attack by that mad man and then Saber came along to help us and we got away," explained Shirō as fast as possible without being misunderstood and interrupted.

"Oh, I see," said Taiga calmly, taking everything in. A few seconds later, the image of fierce tiger surfaced and went into a dark rage.

"YOU DID WHAT!? HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS! IF SABER HADN'T COME, I'D PROBABLY BE DIGGING UP GRAVES!" exclaimed Taiga. This gave Ilya a more piercing sort-of pain. At this rate, she would never recover.

"Come on, Ilya. I'll take you to Rin's room so you can rest," said Sakura, grabbing her hand and assisting her up, giving her one of her caring smiles. The seemingly tortured Ilya had no reason to object and was extremely grateful for the change of locations.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was important that I return because I really treasure that item!" explained Shirō, slightly panicked.

"Oh really, do mind telling me what item was that?" asked Taiga skeptically, crossing her arms afterwards.

"I was supposed to get a stuffed lion but it was destroyed along with the house," said Shirō. He was speaking without regret but was a shade of pink once observed properly.

"A stuffed animal? That's all this is about?" said Taiga, her eyes closed firmly and an aura of aggression appearing steadily.

Saber was silent through the whole ordeal until she heard that last line. Past memories made her recall the significance of that stuffed lion.

"Ms. Fujimura, I know that Shirō's actions were irresponsible to the utmost but he was trying to retrieve something of importance to him. At any rate, I did come along to help them so everything worked out in the end," said Saber, speaking on Shirō's behalf.

A slight shake of the ground made everyone silent. Shirō, Saber and Rin had immediately looked outside the window for any indication of a servant, specifically the rampaging Gilgamesh, nearby. Another more powerful shake confirmed their suspicions and they, as an act on impulse, rushed to the door. They paid no heed to Taiga's shouts that, to their amazement, were cut short but someone.

"Where do you think that came from?" asked Shirō as they ran towards the heart of the city.

"The power I'm sensing is coming from that direction, the school if I am not mistaken," said Saber simply. They switched directions, running towards the school.

"Saber, do you know anything about that Caster servant that summoned Scylla?" asked Rin as they rushed to the site of probable disaster.

"Her name is Circe, the Greek witch capable of transfiguration and the summon of the beast Scylla. Her attack, though I am unsure whether it is actually a Noble Phantasm, is extremely powerful and causes blinding pain once it hits its target," explained Saber.

"I knew it. Isn't one of her Noble Phantasms Shapeshift?"

"Yes. A powerful Noble Phantasm that I estimate is roughly equivalent to that of my Invisible Air. Resisting that kind of Noble Phantasm would require you to posses an equally powerful Defensive Noble Phantasm"

"You're able to resist it, right? After all, you do have Avalon, right?"

"Yes, that is true. However, Avalon, in this war, can not protect me from all the Servants," said Saber.

Their conversation had ended abruptly when the view of the school came into view. Though not ruins, the school itself had been damaged beyond imagination. The destruction, as they saw, was caused by the rogue Gilgamesh. They were standing in front of the gates; with Gilgamesh near the entrance of the annihilated school.

"I had a feeling you'd hunt me down," said the King of Heroes.

"Gilgamesh, why are you doing this!?" shouted Shirō. Gilgamesh merely gave him a mocking smile.

"The King of Heroes answers to no one," he said simply. He shifted his gaze to Saber before smiling his trademark smile.

"So, the King of Knights stand up against me?" he asked, moving a few steps closer. "But more importantly, have you thought about my proposal?"

"You-! How dare you!" shouted Saber. A bright flash of light later, Saber's weapon and armor appeared.

"Excalibur!" she immediately shouted, releasing a powerful burst of luminous gold energy from her weapon.

"Have you not learned, my dear Saber?" said Gilgamesh as he raised Ea.

"Enuma Elish!" he shouted and the purple colored energy shot forth from his weapon, rivaling Saber's Excalibur.

"I do not intend to kill my beloved," said Gilgamesh haughtily. "But I must do what is needed"

Gilgamesh increased his energy input, completing defeating Excalibur's power. Saber was propelled back but was uninjured.

"Surrender, King of knights. This is pointless. Both of us know that there is no greater pleasure than to be with me!"

"Arrogant Idiot!" exclaimed Shirō as he launched an attack on Gilgamesh. He had traced Excalibur during Saber and Gilgamesh's exchange of blows. It was an almost flawless copy and Gilgamesh was barely able to defend against the onslaught.

"You again!" he exclaimed. Shirō was not in the mood to listen to the useless drabbles of the servant. He launched slash after slash, not stopping even for a moment's breath. Gilgamesh could do nothing but to defend against the blow as Shirō did not allow any chances for a counter.

"You have improved, Shirō," admitted Gilgamesh. "Your blows – are nearly impossible - to counter -" he added, after each successful block.

"Now!" Shirō shouted, jumping backwards. Gilgamesh was startled at Shirō's exclamation so he was not able to dodge the power of Saber's Noble Phantasm, Excalibur. He was flung back, hitting the ruins of the school building and further crushing

"That hurt," said Gilgamesh as he stood up. The wind suddenly blew, blowing a few stray leaves.

"Gate of Babylon!" shouted Gilgamesh, unleashing the famous treasury of weapons. From the depths of the Gate, he drew a weapon bearing no ornate decorations. Shirō recognized the weapon as Merodach, the original sin.

"Remember this, Shirō Emiya?" mocked Gilgamesh.

"Saber, the legendary King of Knights," he started, moving towards Saber. "Through Merodach, your Caliburn's ancestor, I shall behead you. It pains me to do such an act but I must."

"But first, I'd better handle the little lady outside. She seems to have been watching the festivities from afar so it'd be best if I attend to her needs. After all, I'd be a terrible host if I didn't," finished Gilgamesh's speech. In a blink of an eye, he was beside Rin, sword at his ready and placed a few millimeters away from Rin's neck.

"Are you ready to die, my pretty lady?" he asked in a cynical tone that reminded her of Archer, her previous servant.

"Why you little-!?" exclaimed Shirō, moving only a step forward. He would've attacked if Rin wasn't a hostage at the moment.

"Now, now. It's not nice to insult me at a time like this, now is it?"

"Let me go!" shouted Rin, struggling from the vice-like grip Gilgamesh was using on her.

"You're one to make demands, seeing as I hold your life in my hands," replied Gilgamesh and her struggling stopped.

_"Darn it… I forgot to bring the crystals! Why, oh why did I forget them at a time like this?" _thought Rin frantically. She was panicking all over but was showing a slightly calm façade.

Merodach was already inching closer to Rin's neck. Just before the blade was able to injure her, a powerful attack had forced Gilgamesh to drop his weapon. It had pierced through his golden armor and he was now bleeding profusely. Rin took this opportunity to escape. Shirō indicated the bushes farthest from the battlefield and Rin hid behind them.

"Who did that!? I demand an answer!" exclaimed Gilgamesh, clutching his injured arm. A black sword-like arrow was sticking out from Gilgamesh's shoulder, piercing his golden armor and skin. He, at an instant, summoned the dreaded Gate of Babylon.

"Annihilate them!" he commanded. The weapons in his treasury started shooting out in top speed, destroying everything in its path.

"Shirō!" shouted Saber as she jumped in front of him to block a blade headed straight for his head. After slashing an incoming spear, she summoned her defensive Noble Phantasm to defend them.

"Avalon!" she exclaimed, producing her scabbard. She placed the holy sword unto the scabbard and a powerful golden energy protected them from the onslaught of swords. On the other hand, Shirō was worried about Rin.

"Saber, we need to push through this attack," said Shirō, eyes locked on Saber.

"We can not! This attack is too fierce for either of us to endure! We'd be killed if we took all the damage!" retorted Saber.

"I know, but we can't let Gilgamesh win. Also I've noticed something about him as we were fighting…"

"So it wasn't only me? I felt a difference in his presence… his power"

"It was like he was a totally a different person. I'm not sure but that's how I felt. But it could also be the effects of the Holy Grail or whatever is causing this," said Shirō, his face bearing a serious expression.

"Regardless, we need to seek a way to attack Gilgamesh," said Saber as another seemingly endless wave of blades, spears and other weapons hit Avalon.

"Maybe we can try to use the arrow that hit Gilgamesh earlier on!" said Shirō.

"But we'll need to be quick since the moment I remove Avalon, Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon will surely pierce us," warned Saber.

"Don't worry. The arrow seemed easy enough to trace but I am not sure if there was a special bow used to fire it. Whoever saved Rin was sure a great Archer. The arrow was able to pierce through Gilgamesh's armor," said Shirō. He now directed his focus on creating a bow that could fire the black arrow with incredible speed and power.

"How is it?" asked Saber, observing the newly constructed bow and arrow. The bow was simple, dark blue in color and was not different from an ordinary bow. The arrow, however, was truly astounding. The copy was precisely the original, a black serrated jet sword in the shape of an arrow. Shirō started stringing the bow and arrow, preparing to attack.

"I'll unleash Excalibur along with your attack," said Saber. Shirō nodded at her suggestion.

After Shirō had strung his weapon and was ready to fire, Saber removed the barrier and Shirō fired the arrow. Saber exclaimed Excalibur and powerful golden energy shot forth once again. The two tore through the numerous blades and hit Gilgamesh, disabling both his arms and injuring him to an extent. The Gate of Babylon was cancelled and the storm of weapons was ceased.

"Where's Rin?" was the immediate question asked by Shirō after Gilgamesh had been defeated.

"Don't worry, I'm over here. I was lucky to have escaped from the Gate of Babylon," said Rin, appearing by the ruins of the half-demolished school.

"Thank goodness you're alright," said Shirō in great relief. Saber, who was listening in on the conversation, interrupted.

"As you can see, we'd better escape before Gilgamesh decides to rise up from unconsciousness and start attacking us," said Saber, sounding a little harder and firmer than she had intended. She started walking towards Rin's house.

"Angry women are dangerous creatures. They have powers which normal human beings only dream of possessing," said Rin in an amused tone. She gave a slight giggle when she saw Shirō's confused state.

"We'd better follow her before she decides to pull you by the ear," she said as she followed Saber. Shirō stood there for a while, looking at the two and sighing.

"Why do women have to be so complicated?" he asked silently to himself.

* * *

"We're back!" said Rin, entering her humble abode followed by Saber and Shirō. They were answered by Sakura as the entered the living room. 

"Welcome back," replied Sakura, placing a plate of croissants on the table of the living room where Ilya and Taiga were now seated around.

"Rin, I hope you don't mind me making a few snacks for Ms. Fujimura and Ilya," asked Sakura. Rin merely smiled.

"It's not a problem. I'm just glad you didn't start eating breakfast as we were out," said Rin jokingly as she sat beside Ilya.

"Well, actually, we asked Sakura to prepare breakfast while you guys were gone. It's already nearing lunch, I believe," said Ilya as she took a bit out of the croissant.

"You little brat!" exclaimed Rin, hitting her on the head. Ilya rubbed the sore spot on her head, shooting death glares at Rin.

"And my head just stopped hurting too…" said Ilya. Rin merely shot her back a death glare of her own.

"This is my house so you'd better show me some respect!"

"I can't believe you still have the energy to fight like that," said Shirō in disbelief. "I'm extremely tired already, seeing as we've been up for more than a day already"

"Well, whose fault is that?" said Taiga though a little less aggressively.

"I know it was mine but that's beside the point," argued Shirō as he took a croissant and bit into it.

"Anyway, you three should rest for a while. I know you're all very tired seeing as you were up all night," said Taiga as she took a sip of the tea Sakura had prepared earlier.

"That would be best," said Rin as she gave a big yawn. "I'll show you guys where you can sleep"

As they neared the rooms they were to sleep in, Rin stopped just by the door but did not turn the handle.

"Hey guys, I wanna know something… Did Gilgamesh seem...Oh, I don't know… _different_ awhile ago?" asked Rin, facing the two.

"Guess we've felt the same thing," said Shirō.

"We three have observed the peculiar Gilgamesh awhile ago. I am unaware of what caused such a change but if it continues, we will be faced with a much more perilous threat," said Saber, thinking deeply about the situation.

"That is true. But anyway, let's just rest for a while and forget this for the meantime. We'll never be able to solve this if we're -" she stopped as she yawned and started rubbing her eyes. "- tired"

"Here's your room Shirō, I'll leave you to make yourself comfortable as I escort Saber to her room," said Rin, her eyes already a quarter of the way shut.

As the women left, Shirō opened his room's door. Not taking a moment to view the room, he immediately entered the room and closed the door.

"What's this…" he asked to no one in particular. Beads of sweat were making their way down Shirō's face. He was tightly clutching his chest, just by his heart.

"Argh!" he exclaimed though no sound came out. The pain intensified and he was sprawled on the floor in a matter of seconds. The pain had spread through-out his body and was weakening him continuously.

As he crawled and got hold of the side of the bed, the pain subsided. He was relieved and surprised at the sudden turn of events.

"What was that?" he asked to no one in particular. His heart was racing and beads of sweat were still present but the blinding pain was no more. He lay down on the bed and rested his head on the pillows.

"_I wonder…_" he thought. He immediately fell asleep after that due to exhaustion. The sun was shinning brightly outside, rays of light entering through the window, a complete paradox to what was about to happen.

* * *

This ends chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed this one! Please Read and Review so I know what to improve on! (Plus, it gives me a reason to continue) 


	3. Unlimited Blade Works

Yay! I've finally uploaded Chapter 3. No point in me going on about what happens

Oh, and I've only recently remembered: "I do not own Fate/Stay Night or any part of it (applicable for all chapters I missed! Sorry 'bout that!)"

Justicez - Sorry but I can't answer your question... It'll be revealed in the story so wait for it (not in this chapter, though)

So, anyway, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Unlimited Blade Works**

"Hey, wake-up sleepy head!" exclaimed Rin joyfully. She was beside the bed, trying to wake the soundly sleeping Shirō.

"Huh…what?" muttered Shirō as he woke up. His eyelids were still half-closed but he was already seated in an upright position.

"Wake-up, it's time for dinner," said Rin. She stood up and showed Shirō the clock on the bedside table.

"It's already 7:00 PM!?" exclaimed Shirō as he saw the time, his eyelids now wide open. He had not known how long he had slept but it was surely a long time.

"Yeah, everyone's already at the table. We're all waiting for you," explained Rin as she walked towards the door. "You'd better hurry; you know how Ms. Fujimura and Ilya get when it's time to eat"

"I'll be right down," replied Shirō and Rin left the room. As soon as Rin closed the door, Shirō laid down once more on the bed.

"_I wonder what that was about…_" he thought. He was puzzled by the dream he had experienced because it was very clear, as if he was actually there.

**Flashback:**

_"So you finally came," said someone in the shadows with a cynical tone. They were in a secluded area of a forest; a place where light had no way of entering. Shirō did not reply but tried to find the sound of the voice._

_"Shirō Emiya. I'm glad that you could join me tonight," said the voice. Shirō searched left and right for the origin of the voice._

_"Join you for what?" he asked. The other person merely snickered, which irritated Shirō._

_"You'll find out soon enough," simply replied the person. Shirō stood firmly and took a deep breath._

_"Do you mind explaining what this is all about?" asked Shirō, trying to search for the voice and maintain a calm stance._

_"Be wary, Shirō Emiya for on the night of fire, I shall deal with you, once and for all," said the figure. Shirō lost focus after the last statement and found himself in a realm unknown to him. He only had a moment's chance to view the landscape for it suddenly vanished and he found himself awake._

**End Flashback**

* * *

"What took you so long? The sukiyaki is almost gone!" said Taiga jubilantly as she took a bite out of the meat on her bowl.

"Took awhile for me to actually wake up," he explained promptly. Ms. Fujimura merely nodded and took another piece of vegetable from the steaming pot. Saber didn't seem to think that that was all there was. So, she decided to ask.

"Shirō, what _**were**_ you doing?" whispered Saber. He hesitated to bring up anything at the table since it was easy to be overheard.

"I'll explain after dinner, in my room," said Shirō simply and he started digging for whatever pieces of food were left.

* * *

"I was in a forested area and was talking with someone. I have absolutely no idea who he was or what he looked like. But he did know who I was. And also, I have the strangest feeling that I've heard his voice somewhere but I can't seem to recall. It was kinda similar and at the same time different," explained Shirō. 

He was standing near the doorway of the guest bedroom while Saber was sitting on the bed near the window. She was deeply contemplating this unusual experience.

"He knew your name but you didn't know his…" she repeated, slowly taking in each word of the sentence.

"Yeah. It was really strange because after that, I found myself in another place. The place seemed familiar but I'm pretty sure that I've never been there. Also, I'm not exactly sure if I saw right but I think I saw the area consumed with fire…"

"Fire…? Could it be a vision of an attack?" asked Saber, thinking about it. She feared it might involve another servant.

"No, that's not it. This was a disserted area; nothing but fire was there. Or at least, what I saw. It was obscuring my vision of anything else," said Shirō, thinking hard about his dream. He had truly not seen anything but the blazing fire and the lack of life except for himself.

"Well, if that isn't it…" said Saber, sitting back down on the bed. Shirō suddenly recalled some of the words the mysterious man said to him.

"_Day of fire… Wait! Could it be… another firestorm!?_" thought Shirō. He had been so engrossed with his thoughts that he did not register Saber calling him until she shouted.

"Shirō!" exclaimed Saber for the 5th time. She had been looking at Shirō with a perplexed expression.

"Huh?" replied Shirō, startled because of the sudden rise of Saber's voice.

"Are you alright? You were staring off into space. Is there anything else you want to talk about? Was there anything more from the dream you had?" inquired Saber.

"No, there's nothing else. I was just wondering who that person is. It's really strange, all things considered," said Shirō.

"Are you sure? There may be clues in that dream of yours that you haven't considered," said Saber. In truth, she was skeptical that there was nothing more to the dream.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he replied, assuring her. "Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid," he added after Saber gave him a skeptical look. She calmed down slightly after the last sentence.

"Fine, but as soon as anything comes up, inform me at once," said Saber with such assertion that Shirō had no choice but to agree.

* * *

"So, it's been two days since the whole Gilgamesh incident and nothing has come up," started Rin. She had called a meeting to discuss this particular matter. They were in the living room, taking advantage of Sakura and Taiga's shopping time. 

"Do you think we should start searching for any leads to this case?" asked Rin as she sat on her armchair. The couch was filled by the other three, Saber, Shirō and Ilya.

"But where do we go? We don't even know how this all happened," said Shirō.

"Saber, where did you first appear when you got back here?" suddenly inquired Ilya. Saber looked at her for a few seconds then replayed her story.

"Well, actually, I found myself near Einzbern castle. It was a surprised to have been summoned to such a remote area. Nevertheless, I really had no time to scan the area since I was immediately attacked by Circe," she explained.

"Einzbern castle, huh? How is the place? I haven't been there for a while," said Ilya casually and off-topic.

"Just how we left it," she promptly explained. Ilya nodded in understanding.

"Well, that's where we'll search first. I just hope we don't have any run-ins with that annoying Gilgamesh," said Rin, standing up from her armchair. She took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote swiftly a few lines. It was addressed to Taiga and Sakura, explaining their departure.

* * *

"I haven't been here for a while…" said Ilya, smiling sadly at the damaged mansion of the Einzberns. 

"Where exactly did you appear?" asked Rin immediately, taking no time to reminisce anything.

"Well, I was not particular with the location…" said Saber. "But fortunately, our battle had left her mark on one area in particular. It was there where I appeared."

"What do you mean "mark"?" asked Shirō.

"You'll immediately know what I'm talking about once you see it," she explained briefly. Without further ado, the group marched forward. It took no less than a minute's time before they knew what Saber had meant by "mark".

"Well, this makes everything a lot more complicated. Magical Energies are scattered everywhere!" exclaimed Rin. The rest, Saber excluded, were looking at the huge hole created by their battle. In addition, fire was still visible in the area, blazing furiously as if it were readying for an attack.

"Why do we need to search for "Magical Energies"?" asked Shirō, as he was perplexed with the idea.

"Well, it would make tracking the source of whatever is causing this easier," explained Rin as if it was obvious. She further explained with an exasperated expression when she saw Shirō's still confused face.

"Magical Spells emit different types of energies. It's similar to an aura of a person, so to speak. You immediately know when someone is near when you feel a presence. It's similar with Magi and magic spells," further expounded Rin.

"Oh, I see. But how can you classify them? We can't exactly collect a sample…" said Shirō. Rin, at this point, was getting annoyed.

"I can, at the very least, classify the magic and conceptualize a way to deal with it. It may be a bit general, but this is our only to have an idea what is happening here. Since only our enemies seem to know why servants are rampaging around Fuyuki, we need to acquire data by ourselves," said Rin.

There was a moment's pause as Rin sensed the surroundings. She found nothing definite, only that it was impossible to track at the moment.

"Well, I can say for certain that Circe is really a powerful Caster. Is this another one of her Noble Phantasms?" asked Rin. Saber could not give a definite answer.

"Maybe, I'm not really sure. I saw her when the magical energy exploded but I didn't exactly see her cast or call out a Noble Phantasm. A servant using his or her most powerful Noble Phantasm normally calls out its name. I can't say that for all the servants but the ones we've fought have done so. Why, what have you found?"

"Nothing really… Except for the strange energy the crater is emitting. It's as if it will attack," said Rin.

"Why don't we search around the area some more? Maybe we'll uncover something important," suggested Shirō. Everyone nodded and went separate ways.

After two hours of searching, they had decided to stop for a while. Rin had to personally search for the other three so they could go back home. It took her another two hours to round-up the three, Ilya being the last to have been found.

"Well, another futile search. The sun is already setting as well," said Rin as she gazed at the bright orange highlights of the sky made by the setting sun.

"We'd better head back. I told Sakura and Ms. Fujimura that we'd be back before dark. Considering the length we have to walk, I suggest we start now," said Rin. She started walking towards the direction which she believed to lead to the exit. The three followed suit, though not entirely trusting her judgment.

* * *

"Uh, Rin…" started Shirō. "How about we let Ilya lead the way? She's more familiar with this place, isn't she?" 

They had been walking for a few hours. The moon was already hovering above them, giving light whenever they needed it.

Rin gave in and decided to let Ilya navigate them back home. Unfortunately, they had hit a snag even before they had started to walk.

"Well, I'm not exactly that sure anymore about the place…" said Ilya, smiling weakly. Rin almost fell to the ground in surprise.

"Then how are we going to get back!?" exclaimed Rin, drawing out her anger at the nearest person, which was Ilya. Ilya, who was not one to be taken lightly, had retaliated instead of taking the blame.

"Who's brilliant idea was it to start here of all places!? Didn't you consider the fact that we might get lost!?"

Their bickering continued as Shirō watched in the background. Saber was strangely quiet and only spoke when a sudden rustle of leaves was heard when there was no wind.

"Shirō, did you hear that?" asked Saber suddenly.

"Hear what?" he inquired. Saber sighed and spoke in a soft whisper.

"Someone's been following us. I only noticed a while ago. I only know that it's a servant capable of hiding himself quite well," explained Saber in a soft whisper.

"I can't locate where he is now…" said Saber.

"Rin, Ilya, watch your backs. Saber says we've been followed," said Shirō to the two bickering women. They immediately stopped and paid heed to their surroundings. This time, the wind actually blew and the rustling of the leaves was heard.

"Shirō, create a bow and arrow. When I say now, shoot at that direction," said Saber, pointing northward from their current location. She, afterwards, whispered something that was incredibly inaudible.

Shirō started tracing the bow and arrow requested by Saber. He had crafted a matching bow and arrow, both sleek black and made of steel. The arrow crafted was simple, similar to the arrows used in the past.

"Ready," said Saber. Shirō strung his weapon and aimed for the direction Saber said.

Rin and Ilya were watching the two as the prepared their battle plan.

"Now!" exclaimed Saber. Shirō had turned a slight 45 degrees left and shot the arrow. A ripping sound was heard and the new presence spoke out loud. The bow Shirō had previously traced had suddenly dissolved into light, leaving him defenseless.

"You are indeed a capable servant, Saber," said a deep voice which echoed through the forest. The group tried to make out where it came from but had failed.

"Regardless, I have no interest in killing your whole group. Just you, Saber," explained the person. In one quick action, an incredibly fast attack was launched on Saber, knocking her back and destroying a few trees in the process.

Shirō, without hesitation, ran swiftly to Saber's current position. But she, as the ever-adaptive servant she was, stood up and materialized her armor and weapon. She started jumping from tree to tree, chasing the shadow of the mysterious servant.

"Where are you!?" exclaimed Saber. The swift servant merely ignored her question and dashed from behind, successfully hitting the King of knights. The other three could do nothing but watch as Saber was attacked a number of times before she fell to the ground.

"Was I wrong in thinking that the King of knights stood a chance against me?" mocked the servant. Saber wearily stood up, using Excalibur as her stand.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to prove myself," said Saber. She raised her sword and it started gathering the air in the vicinity. The legendary sword Excalibur was generating winds in a fast pace. A tornado had already appeared, the blade sustaining the power. The trees and leaves were swaying vigorously from side to side and the others were nearly uprooted. Shirō, Rin and Ilya had to cling to a tree in order to stay near the ground.

"Invisible Air!" exclaimed Saber. The stored energy was launched, destroying nearby trees. It took a while but the blast had stopped. Trees were in disarray and uprooted. It would seem that the enemy servant had been hit by not only Saber's Noble Phantasm but the trees themselves had injured him. Now out in the open, he was seen as a servant cloaked in darkness. His whole body was covered in black clothing, his mouth and nose being the only one uncovered.

"I praise you, Saber, for your skill. It has not dulled through the ages. Regretfully, I am now forced to unleash my Noble Phantasm," said the figure.

"Target Annihilation!" exclaimed the servant. In an instance, black energy sprang from the earth and had covered him from head to toe. The aura was so powerful that the trees that weren't uprooted or destroyed yet had suffered the fate.

"What the…" said Rin as she saw the incredible energy the enemy had released.

"Farewell," said the servant. He quickly charged Saber. She was not able to react in time due to the godlike speed it showed. This proved fatal to Saber as the servant delivered his Noble Phantasm.

Punch after punch, Saber's enemy had delivered. It was impossible to detect and impossible to block. It showed illogical speed and power that it was unlikely that Saber would live against this assault.

"_This is unimaginable… I have never faced a servant as powerful as this…_" thought Saber. Shirō, Rin and Ilya were all too shocked by the sight to say or do anything. It was as if the Noble Phantasm had restrained them from doing anything.

"_What now…?_" thought Shirō angrily. Suddenly he heard someone chanting. He had recalled the voice from somewhere but was not able to remember who had the same tone.

**I am the Bone of my Sword**

**Steel is my body and Fire is my blood**

The voice was growing louder as each heartbeat pounded on Shirō, Rin and Ilya's chest.

**I have created over a thousand Blades**

**Unknown to death**

**Nor known to life**

The voice was now crystal clear. It was coming from the untouched trees behind Shirō, Ilya and Rin. As soon as they discovered this, they averted their gaze to the source.

**Have withstood pain to create many weapons**

**Yet, those hands will never hold anything**

**So as I pray, "**_**Unlimited Blade Works**_**"**

As the chant ended, Ilya came into a realization to who it was before he revealed himself.

"Archer…" she said softly. And true to word, the image of Archer, Rin's past servant, appeared from the darkness that enveloped the forest. A bright light soon followed and they were all transported to another place. Saber's enemy had stopped the assault as soon as he heard the last phrase uttered. He was also surprised to see that the servant had called upon a Reality Marble.

"Emiya, get Saber out of there," quickly demanded Archer. Shirō immediately did as he was told, regardless of who said it or why.

"I will be your next opponent, servant. You will see that I am more than a capable opponent for you," said Archer with is signature arrogant smile.

"We'll see about that," he said. This time, he immediately called upon his Noble Phantasm. "Target Annihilation!"

Shirō, Rin and Ilya were surprised to see Archer smirking at a life-threatening situation like this.

"Avalon!" exclaimed Archer and the powerful scabbard appeared in front of him, blocking the opponent's Noble Phantasm.

"Useless…" said Archer. "Your Noble Phantasm can not pierce Avalon, even if it is a replica". With a snap of his fingers, he crafted another well-known weapon.

"Gáe Bolga!" he shouted, creating Cu Chulainn's fabled spear. He took hold of the spear immediately and plunged it at the center of his enemy's chest.

"Kanshō and Bakuya!" he exclaimed next. The swords were summoned but did not go to Archer's hands. Instead, it slashed the enemy servant in a crisscross manner.

"Finally… Excalibur!" said Archer. A white light emitted from his hands and the legendary "Sword of Promised Victory" had been traced. With both hands, Archer sliced downward, intending to cut the enemy in half. His opponent had taken hold of himself and dodged the weapon in the nick of time.

"You are indeed a fearsome opponent," said the servant. Archer stood, listening to his enemy. "We shall duel again, servant. But the next time we meet, it shall be your life I will take," said his opponent.

"Assassin's Guile!" he exclaimed. A flash of light later, the enemy was gone. Gáe Bolga fell to the floor and vanished, as well as Archer's reality marble. They were back in the forest, the same trees uprooted and in disarray. They were all in the center of the decimated forest, tending to Saber's wounds.

"It's no good trying to wake her after receiving fatal injuries like that. It'd be best if we brought her back to Rin's place for further medical treatment," said Ilya. Shirō agreed and carried Saber.

"Where's Archer?" asked Rin, after seeing that he had disappeared.

"Let's find him later. Right now, we'd better get Saber safely back to your house and do our best to treat her," said Shirō as he ran northward not waiting for Rin's answer. He had seen the bright lights emitted by Fuyuki City and he headed there immediately.

Ilya and Rin ran after him, trying to match his pace. Meanwhile, Archer was hidden at the top of a tree. He was watching carefully the three retreating figures, battle worn and exhausted.

"What happened to your plans for that one?" asked a feminine voice from behind Archer. He immediately knew who she was referring to. He did not turn around to face her.

"Patience," said Archer. "You know as well as I do that the day of fire is still a few weeks away. I can not act beforehand"

"Are you sure it is wise to wait for that day to come? I have explained previously the consequences if you fail," said the woman. Archer merely smirked.

"Yes, Medea. I have already weighed my options. I am certain that the day of fire will be the time when I will have my finale with Shirō Emiya," said Archer.

"If that is your wish…" replied Medea. She fled the scene and left Archer alone to deal with his thoughts.

"I wonder if she knows already…" asked Archer to no one in particular. As the wind suddenly blew, Archer disappeared from sight. The moon bathed Fuyuki in glorious light though the wind sang an ominous melody. A night of bloodshed was about to commence.

* * *

This ends chapter 3. I hope you like it so far. If you'd like to suggest anything, please tell me right away. Other than that, please review! 


	4. Return to Ryudouji

Hi! I'm back! Anyway, here's the 4th chapter that took me more time than I necessarily thought...

Anyway, I'd like to thank all my reviewers!

DeathB4Dishonor - all I can say is that Shiro and Archer will be fighting (so not to spoil anything that much...). And a Norse hero will be entering the story but it won't be for some time.

ADarkknight - I'll try to describe the main bad guy but all I can give you is a (very) vague description in this chapter (sorry 'bout that...) but there is definitely a ring leader in this circus

Now, on with the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fate/Stay Night and anything else belonging to Type-Moon (no matter how much I want that to come true...)

* * *

**Chapter 4: Return to Ryūdōji **

"How is she?!" asked Shirō immediately as Rin stepped out of Saber's room. He had been walking back and forth, trying to calm himself.

"She's going to be fine," explained Rin comfortingly. "I used all my medical magic knowledge and did everything I could so don't worry"

"That's great," said Shirō in great relief.

"But with her condition, she can't battle any servant, or anyone for that matter, for a while. Actually, she shouldn't be allowed to leave the room but that would only aggravate her," further explained Rin.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Shirō. He gave a weak laugh whereas Rin gave a small smile.

"Regardless, I doubt she'll be able to leave the room at all, seeing as she needs to sleep".

"So, how are we going to explain this to Sakura and Ms. Fujimura?" asked Shirō.

"Actually, they didn't want us to explain. As long as we came back alive, it was alright," she said. Surprised to hear this, he inquired as to why they didn't bother asking for another explanation.

"Probably because I told them the last time that we were battling powerful spirits called servants," said Rin with a pensive expression. Shirō merely stood, shocked at what Rin had just said.

"Y-You told her t-that?!" asked Shirō in a surprised tone. Rin, after a few seconds of staring at Shirō, started giggling.

"I didn't know you were that gullible!" she exclaimed in between laughs. Shirō frowned at her as he recalled that this was the same laugh she had given him when he decided to ask Saber out on a date.

_"Déjà vu…" _thought Shirō as he saw the resemblance of the laugh Rin was doing now and the one she did back then.

"Very funny," he said sarcastically. Rin stopped laughing and straightened herself, maintaining balance.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said as she wiped the tears that were trickling from her eyes from all the laughing.

"Now, tell me in all honesty what you really told them" asked Shirō.

"I wasn't joking. Okay, maybe the part about the spirits wasn't really true. Anyway, I told them that we were part of something we just could leave hanging"

Shirō could tell by the glimmer in Rin's eyes that she wasn't lying. He sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"Since when did they know?" was the first question Shirō had in mind, so he blurted it out.

"Actually, since the first time this happened. Well, if you count the memory altering magic I used, then only tonight," she replied. Shirō was at a loss for words. It took him a few seconds before he was actually able to say something.

"Memory… altering… magic?" he asked, both shocked and anxious. Rin merely nodded and Shirō, as an initial reaction, moved back a few steps.

"Oh, don't worry. It doesn't work on you. I'm just not sure why though," said Rin as she observed Shirō as he backed a few steps more. He stopped in his tracks when he heard Rin speak.

"It doesn't work on me?" he asked, curious as to why but was, nevertheless, thankful.

"Yeah, it doesn't. It also doesn't work on Ilya but that much is expected. It doesn't work on Servants either since their magic resistance blocks mediocre spells such as that. It also doesn't work on Sakura because of her massive mana pool as Caster had once stated. It blocks the magic completely. As for you, I really have no clue why," explained Rin.

"I just hope it stays that way…" he said as he retreated to his room. Rin, smiling at her joke on Shirō, skipped merrily back to her room.

"_He really is too easy to trick…But that just adds to the fun,_" thought Rin as she made her way back to her room.

* * *

"Is Saber alright?" asked Ilya once Rin had entered the living room. Rin sighed and sat opposite her. The sun was already rising and the three had not rested since the beginning of the previous day. 

"She's recovering… but at a slow rate. The wounds she received were packed with incredible magical power. Due to that, her wounds keep opening up. And to make matters worse, her regeneration isn't able to keep up with the wounds. At this rate, she may die again…" said Rin. She had proceeded to the kitchen earlier and had brought with her a plate of biscuits and two cups of tea.

"That servant must've been very powerful for it to be able to wound Saber to that extent," replied Ilya, a bit shaken by the power of the servant. Rin had settled beside Ilya. She had placed the cookies on the table and had set the tea for the both of them.

"Extremely. I've only seen a few Noble Phantasms that could truly weaken Saber to the point wherein her regeneration couldn't take it anymore. Actually, I've seen only one but it doesn't even come close to that servant's Noble Phantasm. Had Archer not come in, Saber would've been long gone," replied Rin. She took a sip from her cup of tea after she spoke.

"We'd better watch out for him next time…" said Ilya. After a moment of pause, she decided to bring up something that was plaguing her mind recently.

"I wonder… How did Archer know we were in trouble? It was as if he was there for that very reason and nothing else…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't really get it. He was there one second, the next he disappears…" said Rin. She gave a sigh afterwards. "And not even a hello for his master… that darn servant…"

They were abruptly stopped by the entering Shirō. He had just taken a bath and changed into more comfortable (and less tattered) clothes.

"Hey Shirō, how do you think Archer knew that Saber was in trouble?" asked Rin, still in the same position as she was before. Ilya was nibbling on the biscuit that Rin had brought in earlier.

"I don't really know. That aside, I'm still thankful that he came just in time, even though he was his usual arrogant and sarcastic self. I didn't what I would've done if he didn't come," said Shirō, showing a weakened and depressed expression. He sighed deeply, regretful of the events that had happened. Also, his mind was filled with questions of "what ifs".

_"What if Archer didn't come in on time? What would've happened to Saber?"_thought Shirō. _"If I weren't so weak, I could've saved Saber! Darn it!"_

Shirō was truly frustrated with himself. His expression made that very clear to Rin and Ilya. Both girls were worried that Shirō was already taking the blame for everything.

"It wasn't your fault, Shirō," said Rin comfortingly. "No one would've anticipated that another rogue servant would make an appearance"

"Yeah. And besides, it's not your fault we went to Einzbern castle. It was Rin so you should blame her!" said Ilya, smiling childishly. Rin suddenly stood up and took Ilya by the ear.

"Why you little brat!" shouted Rin as she raised her fist in front of Ilya. Ilya stood up and retaliated.

"Who do you think you're calling a brat?! If it wasn't for you that would've never happened!" she exclaimed, standing to the full of her height.

"Hey don't blame this on me! You were okay with the idea!"

A barrage of insults and blames came from both sides to which Shirō did not bother to listen to. Instead, he stood up and left the room. The two immediately noticed this and stopped fighting.

"He really is depressed," said Ilya. Though they weren't fighting, each took a firm hold of the other. She was pulling Rin's hair, drawing her to Ilya's height.

"Yeah, we'd better leave him alone for a while," said Rin as she was holding Ilya's cheeks, as she was pulling it in both directions a few moments ago.

* * *

Shirō cautiously entered the room Saber was resting in. He didn't dare awaken her for she was already very weak as is. He merely sat at the chair near the bed. There was a medium sized window at the back of the bed Saber was lying down on. The sun was already shinning brightly at this point, promising another beautiful day.

"I'm sorry Saber," were the first words that came out of Shirō's mouth. He was holding Saber's hand, trying to give her comfort in this time of pain.

"You're deep in pain all because of me not being able to defend myself properly," he said. He was smiling at this point. It wasn't one of glee but it was a sad smile. He was about to continue until Saber suddenly awoke and spoke.

"Shirō…" she said softly. Shirō was startled by Saber's sudden awakening. He drew back a bit, giving Saber enough space for her to sit straight.

"You should be resting," said Shirō with slightly saddened eyes. His tone was caring and warm but was all too sad for anyone to miss.

"I will… I just… I just want to tell you that this isn't your fault. Even though the fifth Holy Grail War has ended, I will still protect you," said Saber gently. "And, ironic as it is, you were doing all the protecting. Give me a chance to protect you this time," she added, smiling a bit.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," replied Shirō, smiling himself. "…But…" he added but was immediately cut-off by Saber.

"I'm right, that's it," immediately interrupted Saber. Shirō was about to reason out when Saber shushed him by placing her finger on Shirō's lips.

"No more arguments. You want me to rest, don't you?" said Saber, stern as she always is. "If so, then we are not to discuss this matter any further."

Shirō wasn't able to fully retaliate as he was partly, if not fully in his own mind, responsible for this. He merely nodded, agreeing to her terms. He'd just have to bring it up once she was better again.

"Fine, you win this time," he said and helped her lie down on the bed and cover her with the blanket.

"Thank you… Shirō…" she said. Before truly submitting to fatigue, she uttered four simple words that caught Shirō off guard.

"Don't do anything stupid…"

* * *

Shirō was the only stirring body in the whole Tōsaka residence. He was standing beside his window, gazing at the world outside the Tōsaka mansion.

_"I'll go to Ryūdōji Temple tomorrow night," _he thought, staring at the lit lamps on the street.

_"But Saber said not to do anything stupid…" _retorted his conscience.

_"Regardless, I will go to Ryūdōji Temple tomorrow night…" _he thought, blocking out his conscience.

_"But Saber…"_started his conscience once again. Immediately after the word "Saber", he cut the thought off and lay back to bed with one final thought.

_"I will go to Ryūdōji Temple, and that's final…"_

* * *

The next day came and surprised Shirō as water fell from the sky. It was, in simple terms, raining. Not only was it raining, but it was raining _**hard**_. This left Shirō in a slightly furious mood as his plans were slowly being drenched by the probable storm they were having. He headed down to the dinning room and as expected, he was the last to arrive, Saber excluded.

"Good Morning, Shirō!" said Rin brightly. This was a complete contrast to the current weather, which Shirō noted.

"Are you alright, Rin?" he asked, checking her closely. Rin raised her eyebrow, slightly offended by the question.

"It's raining cats and dogs out there and you greet me a good morning?" he asked after sitting down beside Ilya on the other side of the table.

"Would you like to start your day being greeted by a bad morning?" she asked, her tone was with slight amusement.

"No but that completely contradicts the weather," Shirō pointed out, buttering his toast. Rin had taken a bite of her bacon and eggs so she had to swallow before retorting.

"Then how would you like to be greeted this early in the morning?" she asked, drinking from her cup of tea.

"Well… Umm…" stuttered Shirō. He really didn't know what to say. Rin gave a little giggle which made Shirō blush a little and frown a little.

"All things aside, we have a problem," said Rin, becoming suddenly serious. Ilya, who had been oblivious to their previous discussion, was now very attentive.

"What is it?" asked Shirō, taking a bite of his bread.

"It's about Saber… she's not doing well…" said Rin, slightly weaker than her previous statement. Shirō had almost choked on his toast as Rin said those words.

"What do you mean?" he asked immediately, standing up to give emphasis.

"Her wounds keep opening up… every time my magic and Saber's regenerative powers heal them, they open up again. I only noticed as I was checking her this morning"

"What?! But… how?! Isn't her regeneration incredibly fast and effective?" he asked, surprised by the news.

"I thought so too but I seem to have underestimated the servant that Saber fought with. He didn't just inflict physical damage. This one's magical. It prevents that receiver of his attacks to heal them. At this rate, her body might not take it. Using all the magic Ilya and I know, we've temporarily prevented the wounds from opening again. But, as I said, it's only temporary. We have approximately seven hours before her wounds open again and she feels the pain"

Shirō gave a sigh and stood firm. His hands were at his sides, his fists clenched.

"Well, you know where we're going…" he said.

* * *

"Don't worry Saber, we'll help you get through this…" he said, a surge of confidence and raw power rising in him. He held Saber's hand gently for fear of it breaking.

Without another word, he stood up and headed for the door of Saber's room. Without another look, he left the room, leaving the slumbering Saber.

"Thank you… Shirō," said Saber, eyes closed and smiling.

* * *

"Even in the morning, this place gives me the creeps…" said Rin as she sighed. They had arrived at Ryūdōji Temple, slightly tired from the run they had. It was still raining vigorously so visibility and movement were reduced.

"Let's go, we can't waste our time standing here," said Shirō. He immediately ran the steps, his umbrella swaying due to the opposing force of the wind and Shirō's sprint towards the top of the stairs.

"Shirō Emiya…" said someone in a whispered tone. Shirō froze for a moment, surprised by the sudden call.

"W-Who are you…?" he asked, tone weak yet audible despite the pounding of the rain.

"It has been awhile, Shirō…" said the voice. In an instant, he was transported to realm surrounded by darkness.

"You're…" said Shirō, in a tone of bewilderment. The voice, which was female, showed herself to Shirō.

"It's good you still remember me…" said the woman. She removed the hood of her cloak, revealing Medea, the caster-type servant.

"Caster!" said Shirō. Medea merely smiled.

"I came here to warn you. The one you are seeking is at the temple, waiting for your arrival. You do not stand a chance against him, I can guarantee you that"

"It doesn't matter. I need to find a way to save Saber!" exclaimed Shirō. Medea bowed her head slightly and smiled faintly.

"Very well. My master informed me that you were very stubborn, to say the least. Take this, a gift that may come in handy."

Caster presented him with a pendant. The chain was made out of silver and was not intricately designed. The actual pendant, however, was intriguing. It was fashioned in a shape of two crisscrossing swords. One was pure black and the other was pure white. It was miniscule in size and was enclosed inside a sapphire gemstone. The gemstone in question was in the shape of a teardrop.

"Use it in case of an emergency…" were Caster's last words before she vanished. Shirō was transported back to the steps of Ryūdōji temple.

"Sheesh, couldn't you have slowed down a bit!" said Rin as she and Ilya approached Shirō.

"What's with that necklace thing?" asked Ilya as she saw the item presented by Caster around his neck. Shirō took hold of the teardrop shaped gemstone and was surprised.

"Never mind this. We need to get to the top. I know he's there," said Shirō and dashed upwards, leaving the two once again.

"Boy, he sure runs fast…" said Rin and chased after him. Ilya did likewise but at a slower rate for fear of slipping due to the puddles being formed.

Upon reaching the top, Shirō saw the servant immediately. He was still is his black garb and had his eyes closed. The rain was starting to cease, gently falling at this point.

"You!" shouted Shirō. The servant did not open his eyes nor did he move. The wind swept the floors of the temple as he spoke.

"I knew you'd come here," was his reply. Shirō, with clenched fists and gritted teeth, traced Kanshō and Bakuya, freeing the umbrella from his grasp and landing a distance from him.

"Have I not taught you anything?" he asked mockingly.

"Taught me anything? What? to be ruthless? merciless? Was that the topic you were going for?!" exclaimed Shirō. The servant stood up and faced Shirō, eyes open.

"Not even…" he said but trailed off as he disappeared from his previous location and appeared right in front of Shirō, punching him with tremendous force.

"…close" he continued after his fist made contact with Shirō's body.

Shirō was flung back, nearly falling off the stairs. It was at this point that Rin and Ilya caught up.

"What happened?!" asked Rin as both girls assisted Shirō in getting up.

"Darn…it," said Shirō, spewing blood from his mouth. The rain had completely stopped at this point, as if giving way for the sun to see the battle that was going underway.

_"But I can't give up… I must defeat this servant… for Saber…" _thought Shirō. A surge of power was suddenly released in his body, giving him the strength to stand.

* * *

"Did you give it to him?" asked Archer, his back turned on Caster. They were in some kind of domain that gave the impression of an underground military base. He was standing, facing the wall that hung a picture of Ryūdōji Temple.

"Yes, and I did as you told me to," replied Caster. "But will he actually use it?"

"If I am not mistaken, and I can not be since this is Emiya we're talking about, he won't use it in his fight against that True Assassin servant…"

"What makes you so sure?" asked Caster. Archer smiled slightly, although this was not seen by Caster as Archer's back was facing her.

"Well, let's just say, I know exactly what goes on inside his head," he replied.

* * *

"Not yet…" said Shirō weakly. Rin and Ilya were doing their best to aid Shirō. Whether it was to distract the servant, perform backstab attacks or whatever action they had to do, they'd do it.

"Now, Ilya!" shouted Rin. Ilya threw three blue colored jewels at the servant. Sadly, the servant was too fast for any of the stones to hit. This was also Rin's case as she had thrown an array of jewels that were very different in color.

"Take this!" exclaimed Shirō as he charged at the servant, sending a torrent of slashes and pierces using Kanshō and Bakuya. The servant, quick as he is, easily dodged the attacks.

"You're too slow…" he commented and gave Shirō an uppercut. Once again, he was flung upward and landed a few feet from his enemy. His body hit the floor, splattering the puddle of water and weakening his body to an extent.

"Take this!" said Rin as she activated Gand and fired a stream of black orbs from her fingertip. The servant did not bother blocking the attack. It was far too weak to penetrate his defenses.

"You'd better have something better than that to actually injure me," said the servant monotonously. He walked towards Rin, ready to launch an attack.

"I do," said Rin, smiling despite her situation.

"Look behind you…"

The servant looked back and, sure enough, three jewels were about to hit him. It was too late to escape and the three hit him, freezing his legs and a large portion of his torso.

"Take this as well!" Rin shouted, launching her own set of jewels. Similar to the ones Ilya threw earlier, they were jewels intended to freeze the target.

* * *

"Master, you never told me who that servant was…" said Caster. Archer, once again, smiled weakly. Although this time Caster saw him smile.

"Are you sure you want to know the truth?" he asked, eyeing Caster closely. With her hood on, it was impossible to tell how her expression looked. But seeing as Archer had limited clairvoyance, he saw a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"Yes…" replied Caster. Archer nodded and waited for a while before speaking.

"That servant is in fact…"

* * *

"You…" said Shirō, surprised at the revelation. He had sliced through the ice using the newly traced, and held, Excalibur. Not wishing to kill him, he adjusted the slash so that he would only be injured to an extent. But his slash did more than what was necessary as it tore of a portion of the cloth-mask that held it together. The face was revealed, shocking all three people.

"Kuzuki-sensei…" he said, dumbfounded by the sight of his former teacher.

* * *

"No… h-how could that be…?!" asked Caster, shocked at Archer's revelation. Archer closed his eyes and sighed.

"I am not aware of his reasons for seeking out the Holy Grail but because of it, he has been enlisted as one of its 'participants'," replied Archer.

"What do you mean?" asked Caster.

"I've been looking for information about this unusual method of summoning. The only thing I've got so far is that the Holy Grail has something to do with this. I've encountered two servants, whom I have already taken care of, who told me this. It seems that the Holy Grail is planning something,"

"A-and… Sōichirō is… part of all this…?"

"Unfortunately… Also, the reason why we're able to use Noble Phantasms ceaselessly is because we are connected to the Grail through a "mana link". The grail provides us with unlimited mana and in exchange, we play in his 'divine' plan, consciously or not…"

"Then the day you saved me… the servants that attacked me… were they…?" asked Caster.

"I am not entirely sure of the situation. All I can come up with is that we have been cast in a play that the Grail has chosen. And I doubt we'll be taking our bows once this is all over…"

* * *

That ends chapter 4! I hope I'll be able to upload the 5th chapter before my sembreak ends.Anyway, please tell me what you think. All suggestions are readily accepted! 


	5. God Hand

Hey everyone! Anyway, on to the reviews!

Lizard Valis: Well, it was hard getting Gilgamesh to become more arrogant than actually he is so I decided to place that conversation since I was kinda thinking that Gilga had "submitted" (kinda softened or something...) to Saber (the pat in the last ep where he says a bunch of lines before dying). Anyway, there was supposed to be a change, so I'll try to emphasis that next time I add him to the story.

Thanks for all the reviews and comments! I really appreciate them!

Anyway, shouldn't delay any longer so here's the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own FSN (sadly...)

* * *

**Chapter 5: God Hand**

"Kuzuki-sensei!" exclaimed Rin as she saw the face of her former teacher. Ilya, who was not familiar with the person, was puzzled as how the two knew the servant.

"I knew I'd be defeated sooner or later…" said Sōichirō simply. He sighed and fixed his gaze at the setting sun. It would seem that time had hastened during their fight.

"How…? Why…?" asked Shirō, not able to form coherent sentences due to astonishment.

Sōichirō did not reply but instead continued his gaze at the setting sun. Ilya tugged on Rin's shirt, similar to an innocent child bearing a question.

"Who's that?" she asked in a hushed tone, pointing to the man clothed in black.

"Mr. Sōichirō Kuzuki. He was a teacher of ours, my homeroom instructor to be exact," replied Rin in a tone similar to that of Ilya's. "He was… killed by Gilgamesh during our fight with Caster…"

"Kuzuki-sensei, why were you reborn as a servant?" asked Shirō, blissfully unaware of the conversation between the two. Sōichirō sighed at the youth's question.

"It was after I was killed by that golden servant, Gilgamesh"

"After that incident, I was brought to the care of the Holy Grail. I was given another chance at living, an offer I couldn't refuse because it had already been given to me without my consent,"

"So you're saying that the Holy Grail is the reason why you're here?" asked Shirō, bewildered.

"Yes, the Holy Grail gave me another life, so to speak," replied Sōichirō. "I wasn't aware that the coveted Holy Grail was that powerful…"

"Wait, but how did it revive you? The grail wasn't completely summoned that time!" retorted Shirō, recalling Saber's attack on the grail.

"It wasn't able to acquire enough mana to materialize itself. How could it have revived you?" asked Shirō further. Sōichirō was silent for a while, savoring the coolness of the night breeze.

"I found that strange too, actually. If the grail had the power to resurrect me, then why would it need sacrifices in order to create itself?"

He looked upward since he could not face the others, seeing as his feet and legs were still frozen by Rin's magic jewels.

"The answer, I believe, is that the Holy Grail took the mana from another source,"

"How could the grail take mana from another source? If there was an actual way of summoning it without bloodshed, surely the Magi of the past would've done it," replied Rin.

"Has it occurred to you that the method would mean losing the servant?" he asked.

"Losing the servant? What do you mean by that?" asked Rin, feeling confused.

"It seems that after Medea had been killed by Gilgamesh, her astral body was converted into mana and was used to revive me"

"You mean that's possible?!" exclaimed Ilya in a surprised tone.

"Not for Magi at your level, but yes, it is possible. Using the mana stored from the previous Holy Grail Wars, the grail has accumulated enough mana to summon servants using a willing host. Through this magus, mana is transported via a link and the magus is able to summon an astounding number of servants"

"So, how many servants are there in total?" asked Rin. Sōichirō thought for a while before answering.

"In the beginning, there were only seven servants. They were two Caster-type servants, two Archer class servants, a Saber class, a Berserker class and finally, me, a True Assassin class. Most of us are under the rule of that magus. Using the mana of the Holy Grail and the copious amount of innate mana our master has, we were summoned to seek sacred objects called "Mana Gemstones". I'm not sure if you've heard of them…,"

"Actually, I've heard about those… They are capable of converting life force into mana to suit whatever purpose. There are a total of nine mana gemstones, each forged from the original gemstone," said Rin.

"True and we have two of these, a topaz and ruby. The topaz was already with our master and the ruby was just recently found," explained Sōichirō.

"What do you mean by "most of us are under his rule"?" asked Shirō abruptly.

"The topaz gemstone was used to link Saber and Archer in order for them to be able to use their Noble Phantasms at an unlimited rate. It worked fine as the "mana link", the link from Servant to Gemstone, was done perfectly. But, the grail found out that this would free the servants from the Reiju of the master. When they realized this, it was too late as Saber and Archer had already fled,"

"So, they're the only ones without masters?" asked Shirō. Sōichirō nodded.

"Anyway, I don't think Caster and Archer will hold long. Berserker was sent to kill them tonight, I'm afraid…"

"What?! Why!?" asked Rin, shocked by the news.

"Archer is one of the servants I failed to annihilate the first time. Caster has a certain relation with Archer," replied Sōichirō.

"Relation? What do you mean?" asked Shirō.

"Upon her summon, she was materialized at the foot of Ryūdōji Temple. After that, three servants launched an attack against her. Archer, who was nearby, defended her. He wasn't able to annihilate them but he was able to weaken the two but not without sustaining damage himself. Caster, as a debt of gratitude, formed a pact with Archer. Though it may sound strange and unusual, the two are bound by that pact,"

"How did you know that?" asked Ilya. Sōichirō shook his head.

"I was actually one of those who attacked her…"

"What?!" exclaimed the three. They were caught off-guard by Sōichirō's reply.

"Similar to masters in a Holy Grail War, my master also has access to the Reiju. With those, they are able to give absolute orders that we are unable to defy. To make matters worse, he has more than three. For each servant bestowed upon him by the grail, a set of three Reiju appear on his body. That in mind, he has more than enough to get me to do anything he wishes…"

"Is that really permissible? This is the first time I've heard of master with more than three Reiju…" replied Rin, unbelieving of Sōichirō's tale.

"The rules have changed, and they are in favor of the grail," he simply said. They fell silent as both Shirō and Rin knew very well this fact.

"As of the moment, my master is too weak to even speak as, even though he has a vast amount of mana, the number of servants is not proportion to his capability to provide them mana,"

"But I thought you had acquired two of the gemstones?" asked Ilya.

"We did, but the grail is unwilling to use the mana link again. The actual use of the gemstones is incredibly difficult to start with. Bearing that in mind, my master has no choice but to bear the burden of five servants. Now two, if Archer's words are true," explained Kuzuki.

"Why two? What happened to the others?" asked Shirō.

"They were, as Archer had said, eliminated by him. I doubt it holds true for Circe but Gilgamesh would've been easily eliminated by Archer…"

"Why is that?" asked Rin, wondering how the King of Heroes could've been defeated so easily.

"Emiya, Tōsaka, I'd be thankful if you freed me from this ice chamber," said Sōichirō blatantly, ignoring the previous inquisition. "I have to eliminate Berserker before I am eliminated by the grail for this atrocity," he added.

"Do you know where they are?" asked Shirō.

"I have an idea as to where they might be…"

"I see… Could you lead me to them? I still have matters to attend to… But, before all that, tell me how to save Saber," said Shirō, still bearing the sufferings of Saber in mind.

"Release me and we'll go to her immediately," he replied. They immediately got to work on freeing him.

"This should do it," said Rin, clapping her hands together. Using magic, they melted the ice restricting Sōichirō's movement.

"Let's go," commanded Sōichirō. They ran down the steps, whereas Sōichirō jumped from the top and landed on the ground.

"I'll meet you there," he said promptly and left at an amazing speed.

"Does he know the way to my house? Or that Saber's in my house for that matter?" asked Rin. Shirō shrugged. He had no idea if Kuzuki-sensei knew the way or not. Regardless, they swiftly ran the streets heading for the Tōsaka residence.

* * *

"Give me… a few seconds… to rest…" said Rin, breathing and panting heavily. Ilya was behind her, seated on the floor trying to catch her breath. 

"I'll meet you there," said Shirō rapidly and rushing inside. He climbed the stairs and burst opens the doors.

"Kuzuki-sensei!" exclaimed Shirō, almost breaking the door of Saber's bedroom.

He saw Sōichirō seated on one of the chairs and Saber seated in an upright position. He took a deep breath and fell to the ground in fatigue. He did not faint but merely sat to regain energy.

"I've reversed the magic I've cast upon Saber. She will now be able to recover fully," said Sōichirō, standing up from his seat.

"Thank…you," said Shirō with an appreciative smile. Sōichirō did not return the thanks.

"You shouldn't be thanking me. After all, I was the cause of Saber's affliction," he replied. He suddenly disappeared, jumping from Saber's window.

"How are you feeling, Saber?" asked Shirō, standing up and moving to the side of Saber's bed.

"Better. I had not expected your teacher to appear before me and heal my wounds. Actually, I did not expect to meet him at all this time around," said Saber. Shirō merely smiled.

"It's a long story actually. I'll tell you sometime," he said. Saber returned the smile and stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Shirō, quite puzzled by Saber's actions. Saber, as fast as she stood, changed into her battle gear.

"We're going to rescue Archer and Caster, I believe," said Saber. Shirō was about to oppose the idea but decided otherwise.

"Let's go," he said and dashed towards the door. Saber followed and soon enough, they were outside with Rin and Ilya still seated on the floor.

"Where are you guys going?" asked Rin, still breathing heavily.

"To rescue Archer and Caster," they replied and ran northward, disappearing into the darkness of the night sky. Rin and Ilya did not bother to follow nor get up.

"They'll be… alright…" said Rin as she gave a deep sigh. Ilya merely nodded due to the lack of energy to speak.

* * *

"Here we are…" said Saber, gazing at the trees surrounding the vicinity of Einzbern Castle. The castle itself wasn't in view but the location was hard to forget as the fallen trees were still there. 

"So… they're here…?" asked Shirō, slightly perplexed as the last time they came here, they found no traces of Servant activity.

"Yes, if I am not mistaken. The last time we were here, we encountered your teacher and Archer. The meeting, I believe, was merely coincidental as Kuzuki had targeted Archer but saw me instead. It was at that moment did he decide to attack me instead of Archer," explained Saber.

"But of course, this is my own perception of the scenario," she added, smiling at the end.

"Well, you might actually be right," replied Shirō. The two entered deeper into the forest until they saw the castle itself. It had not been touched by human hands. Only the hands of nature had caressed the castle as vines and shrubs had grown were there were previously none. Moss, or what seemed like it, were scattered on the walls, adding to the ancient effect of the King-sized estate.

"Where exactly are they?" asked Shirō as he surveyed the area. He found no place for them to hide except for Ilya's mansion.

"I assume you know that the mansion is the only place they'd be, right?" asked Saber as she trudged onwards, moving towards the Einzbern estate.

"But it seems to have been untouched for decades!" exclaimed Shirō disbelievingly.

"You forget that Caster is unparalleled when it comes to the creation of territories and special domains," explained Saber.

"But how do we enter?" he asked. Saber raised Excalibur and began charging for an attack.

"I advise you to move back," she warned. Shirō did not think twice about obeying.

"Excalibur!" she exclaimed and the holy energy hit the side of the estate. The house was barely touched but due to the power of the Noble Phantasm, the barrier Medea had erected was shattered. Inside, four servants were in combat which were Sōichirō, Archer and Medea against Berserker. It was surprising as Berserker seemed to have a great advantage over the three.

"Saber!" exclaimed Medea upon seeing her barrier to have been shattered. Shirō entered the domain alongside Saber.

"Target Annihilation!" exclaimed Sōichirō as he dashed for Berserker. Shirō was astounded to find out that the servant was actually Ilya's Berserker, the omnipotent Hercules.

"Foolish," uttered Berserker and swung his sword with immense strength, canceling Sōichirō's Noble Phantasm. He was flung a great distance as he was not attuned to being hit as his evasion granted him amazing speed against his enemies.

"Are you alright?!" asked Medea quickly as she aided Sōichirō. She helped him stand up. Answering the question, he gave a quick nod.

"Target Annihilation!" exclaimed Sōichirō. Archer aided Sōichirō in his struggle.

"Kanshō and Bakuya!" he exclaimed and two twin blades appeared, clutched by his hands. Dashing at great speed, he launched his own attack on Berserker.

"Submit to the wishes of my master, the Holy Grail!" bellowed Berserker. With astonishing speed, he drew what seemed to be a bow and arrow set.

"Nine Lives!" he exclaimed and nine shots were fired from the bow. These bows, equipped with potent poisons, were extremely deadly. The arrows were only narrowly avoided by the two. On the far back, however, was Medea who was unable to act quickly.

"Look out!" shouted Sōichirō. In a bright flash, the arrows were gone and Saber stood, sweating slightly.

"Saber…" said Medea. Anything after that was cut immediately as Berserker launched waves and waves of arrows at the servants.

"Let's go, Shirō," said Saber. Shirō nodded and traced Kanshō and Bakuya, likewise with Archer.

"Excalibur!" exclaimed Saber. The Holy Sword grew bright and launched a powerful blast of energy.

"Take this!" exclaimed Shirō, throwing the blades at Berserker. At the farthest left side of Shirō stood Archer who smiled faintly as he saw Shirō throw the blades.

"A little too early," he whispered and threw the blades at Berserker, mimicking Shirō's earlier actions. Sōichirō, on the other hand, had taken the battle front and launched his attack from there.

"Target Annihiliation!" he exclaimed, this time successfully landing the hit. As the Noble Phantasms hit the hardened Servant and as attacks from both sides collided, a cataclysmic explosion came into play. A blinding light covered the area where everyone stood. The explosion was witnessed by several passers-by from a far distance.

Upon the clearing of the smoke, the place was revealed to be in shambles. Not a piece of the Einzbern estate survived the explosion. Several rocks, smoking debris and piles of rubble lay on the grounds were the prestigious palace once stood.

Rising from the explosion was Shirō, who had been caught underneath a few fallen pieces of the ceiling. Medea and Archer, along with Sōichirō, were unaffected by the explosion, all standing in the same position as they had before the explosion. Saber had moved back as she evaded several piles of smoldering rock beforehand.

"I told you it was futile…" said Berserker, standing up once again. The servants, Shirō included, were surprised to find Berserker still capable of breath.

"Impossible…" whispered Shirō, astounded by the power of Berserker.

"You should've been killed by that!" exclaimed Archer.

"Should have… but wasn't," taunted Berserker. From a distance, they heard several sirens coming closer to the scene.

"I guess we will have to continue this at a later time," said Berserker as he disappeared.

"We need to escape before anyone finds us," said Saber urgently. They were about to run but Archer halted them.

"It will be easier with Medea's aid," said Archer. Instantly, Medea chanted a spell and they vanished, leaving the firemen and police officers to deal with the chaos they left.

* * *

They were transported to Rin's house, exactly where Archer was summoned. Likewise, a rather loud boom was heard through-out the house. 

In that same fashion, Rin entered that room again, same expression and all. Only this time, Archer was sitting comfortably under the pile of transported persons, Medea excluded.

"I'm home," said Archer in an indeterminable tone. Whether it was sarcastic or not, only he could tell.

Rin stood speechless, unable to make out what to say or do. So, instead of just standing around, she immediately got angry.

"What are you doing here?! More importantly, how are you going to fix this?!" exclaimed Rin loudly.

"Easy there, master. Is that anyway to treat your humble and loyal servant?" asked Archer sarcastically. Rin stood there, fuming with rage, ready to strangle the snide Archer and get him begging at her feet. But that matter would have to wait for another time.

* * *

"Care to explain these events, Archer?" asked Rin coldly. Archer, obviously unaffected by the coldness of his previous master, answered the question. 

"Well, it depends what you want me to explain… " replied Archer. Rin, rather annoyed with her previous servant, answered back. They were seated in the living room but only the two were actually sitting. They rest had distanced themselves from the two battling forces.

"How about we start with this lopsided Holy Grail War?" retorted Rin in a calm yet obviously irritated expression.

"Which part of it, master?" answered Archer, rather intent on keeping a vow of silence.

"Start with your very presence and, in general, the presence of every servant in Fuyuki," replied Rin, evenly and calmly as ever.

"Uhhh… we're never going to finish if this keeps up…" said Shirō, but was unheard by Archer and Rin.

"I agree…" commented Ilya. Medea nodded in agreement, likewise Saber. Sōichirō, on the other hand, remained stoic.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" replied Archer. Rin was unable to bear the calmness of her servant so she quickly stood, face fuming red with rage.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" she bellowed, literally shaking the residents of the house.

"Err… Rin, calm down…" said Shirō, trying to ease her a bit. It was, however, to no avail.

"Damn it! Just tell us what we want to know you ungrateful servant!" exclaimed Rin, steam pouring out from her ears.

"Isn't she a little too aggressive today?" asked Ilya, backing away similar to the actions of the others.

"This rage must have something to do with their previous meeting, probably during the fifth Holy Grail War," said Saber, analyzing the situation.

"What are going on about over there?!" shouted Rin, facing their direction with her venomous glare. All, including Sōichirō, shook their heads, afraid to speak.

"She must still be angry due Archer's departure last time…" whispered Ilya to Shirō, snickering silently. Shirō nodded in agreement, as so did Saber. Rin, having somehow heard that, took on a grim expression.

"What was that…?" she asked, eerily calm yet undeniably furious. They were backed up at the corner of the room with no possible chance of escape. It was fortunate that Archer decided to actually and seriously respond to Rin's previous question.

"I am not definite, but I am sure it has something to do with the Holy Grail. There may be other reasons, but that is the only one I could come up with," said Archer, remaining eternally calm.

"We know that much," replied Rin, cooling off slight yet still as cold as ice..

"At any rate, we have to take care of the last servant allied to the Holy Grail," said Archer, disregarding Rin's previous comment.

"Last? Are you sure that you have taken care of Circe and Gilgamesh that easily?" asked Sōichirō, joining in the conversation.

"I did not kill the servants, Kuzuki. I have merely delayed their response to the Grail's wishes. I can not possibly have the power to kill Circe and Gilgamesh independently. They have surely been warned by the Holy Grail,"

"True. But there is another matter that I would like you to address…" said Sōichirō. Archer nodded, indicating him to continue.

"How are you able to be Medea's master? We know where you're getting your mana but how can a servant make a pact with another servant?"

At this, all ears were listening to the next words that would come out of Archer's mouth. He did not reply immediately but gave a small smile.

"Is it not obvious?" he asked. None of them spoke as they anticipated the answer of this question.

"It has been done in the past and it has been done again,"

"What do you mean?" asked Sōichirō. An unnerving silence enveloped the room as the highly anticipated answer of Archer was awaited.

"**I am a Magi**"

* * *

That ends this chapter! Okay, to clear a few things: 

Yes, this is a (slightly) confusing chapter. & Yes, the next chapter does provide more information on the topic they were discussing.

That's it for this chapter, please tell me what you think! (areas to improve, elements to add, etc) Thanks in advance!


	6. Gilgamesh

Hey guys! Chapter 6 is up! Don't have anything else to say here except thanks to all those who read and reviewed! They were highly appreciated!

Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or any of Type-Moon's ideas!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Gilgamesh**

"I am a Magi,"

A shroud of silence covered the room as the revelation astonished them, master and servant alike. It was literally dead silent and all gazes directed at Archer

"A magi?" asked Rin, speaking very softly as if in danger of being caught doing something unreasonably evil.

"Yes," replied Archer, his gaze unfaltering. When no one said or asked anything, Archer furthered the subject.

"Have you not wondered what my history was?" he asked. "Have you never thought of anything about my skills and talents? Have you ever wondered what great hero, creature even, I was in my previous life?" he smirked slightly at this part.

No one dared answer his questions. None, in truth, have wondered about Archer's identity. They mostly regarded him as an unsung hero, brought back by the Holy Grail for the purpose of serving a master.

"Regardless, I believe you will not find the answer there. I am but a simple master of blades, forger of the finest weapons," he said, his words igniting anxiety, fear and curiosity in them.

Still, silence was observed as Archer spoke, and even afterwards. After a quick sigh, he continued. It was observable, however, that his hands were trembling.

"This conversation only seeks to annoy me…" he added, his eyes weary.

"Are you alright?" asked Saber, noticing the display of weakness in Archer. The snide servant merely nodded at the remark.

"I will take my leave. I need to scout, as I always do, in order to ensure our safety,"

With a quick flash, the mysterious servant vanished, baffling them once again.

"Well, that was a shocker," said Rin, sighing. Her heart had pounded fiercely as Archer spoke, in dread fear of what he was about to say. It was as if they were being chased by a murderer. She was worn and tired, likewise with the rest.

"Yeah, but I do wonder who he really is…" said Shirō. The rest agreed, all plagued with the curiosity of Archer's identity.

* * *

"I should not have done that," said Archer, regretting what he had said. "Regardless, it'll only be a matter of time before I disappear. I can barely take the pain from that witch," he said, his knee bent and gasping for air. He had fled to the rooftop of the Tohsaka estate. It was a nice getaway as nobody ever bothered to look at the rooftop.

"Darn that witch…" he added in spite. Disappearing once again from view, he fled the Tōsaka residence, embarking on a personal quest.

* * *

"Anyway, just leave the door for Archer," said Rin just before she entered her room.

"Well, if you say so…" mumbled Shirō as he entered his room, along with Sōichirō.

"Kuzuki-sensei…" started Shirō. He glanced to check if his teacher was listening. After confirmation, he continued.

"I was wondering about something…" he was apprehensive to continue the interrogation but thought it necessary to continue.

"You said that there were servants linked to these gemstones, right?" Sōichirō nodded, not bothering to speak.

"Couldn't they just link back to your master?" asked Shirō. Sōichirō sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Emiya, I believe you are aware how the Holy Grail War works?" asked Sōichirō. Shirō nodded.

"How are masters and servants involved in this?" he asked as a kind of review for Shirō.

"They make pacts?" he answered back in form of a question. Sōichirō nodded.

"In order for what you say to become true, the servant and master would have to make a pact again. And I doubt Saber or Archer would want to be connected to him again…"

"Who is your master, anyway?" asked Shirō, changing the topic suddenly. Though taken completely unaware by the question, he was able to answer it to as much as his knowledge allowed.

"In truth, none of us actually know. He always has his personal servant to make announcements and such when ordering us. The most we see of him is his hand since this is where the Reiju are supposed to be,"

"What do you mean you can only see the hand?"

"He resides in a room completely covered in darkness. The only time we see any part of him is when he gives absolute orders. The only thing we are familiar with of him is his voice and his left hand, where the Reiju often glows,"

Shirō nodded, signifying he understood. This mysterious opponent of theirs was very shady. Not even his own servants knew his identity.

"But you are sure your master is a he, right?" asked Shirō. Surprisingly, Sōichirō shook his head.

"No, not really. His voice is the only clue we have… And, from my observation, he tends to change them a lot but all are a variation of the masculine voice," said Sōichirō.

"Do you think Archer knows him?" wondered Shirō.

"Maybe, he was the first servant to be summoned. His power, as I have heard from the Holy Grail, is astounding. A clue from his past that was given to me by the Holy Grail was that he was an excellent forger of swords. He is capable of recreating Excalibur and Caliburn, Saber's most powerful weapons," said Sōichirō, being the lengthiest speech he had given all night.

"A forger of Swords? He materializes them out of nothing, he uses Tracing and Reinforcement, not the simple forge," retorted Shirō. Sōichirō glanced at Shirō for a while, slightly astounded by the boy's reply.

"I was not talking literally. I am aware of his ability to create weapons out of thin air. I find it surprising, but I do believe you have the same talent,"

"The only branch of sorcery I know, actually. Rin found it strange that I was only taught that out of the many types of magic out there," said Shirō, gazing outside into the starry night sky.

"Your father probably had reasons,"

"I never said anything about my father teaching me…"

"Emiya, do you honestly believe that I am as ignorant and unintelligible as that? I am aware of Kiritsugu's past. How he was drawn into this war and how he ended this battle. He fought countless duels with numerous masters, triumphing in every one of them. I do not speak without knowledge, nor act upon instinct," replied Sōichirō, frustration evident.

Shirō was stunned. It was astounding how Sōichirō knew about his foster father. It was also surprising to note how he knew all those things, particularly his involvement in the fourth Holy Grail War.

"You know…?" asked Shirō. Sōichirō did not give an answer. Instead, he fled the scene, leaving a stunned and curious Shirō behind.

* * *

Dawn came bright and cheerful the next day. The sun rose with a promise of another bright day. This was all seen by the bothered Shirō Emiya who had risen earlier than the sun had.

He had barely a wink of sleep as he thought about what Sōichirō had told him.

"About… my dad?" he mumbled, quite perplexed if he should feel happy or annoyed by the ordeal.

A soft knock came from the door and he hesitated to open it. Three knocks later, he decided to respect the person by at least seeing who it was. He was surprised to see Sakura, a person he had not seen in such a long time.

"Good morning, Shirō," she said brightly. A moment later, her expression turned rather worried, after which she continued to speak.

"Were you still asleep? I'm sorry if I bothered you or anything…" she said, her voice growing weaker with each word.

"No, not at all. I was already awake, just a little sleepy when you knocked so I didn't answer it right away," explained Shirō, yawning at that precise moment to make it sound believable. He really was still sleepy, having barely slept these past days. He barely knew the time, let alone the date.

"Oh, thank goodness. Anyway, breakfast's ready so if you want to eat, you can just come down," said Sakura, her cheerful smile evident on her face. Shirō smiled back and nodded, gently closing the door as Sakura departed

* * *

In a slightly unexpected turn of events, Shirō was the last person to appear at the dinning table. Even Archer and Sōichirō were there before him, despite the fact that they left the previous night.

"Morning," said Shirō as he took a seat beside Saber.

"Good Morning!" replied Sakura as she passed another bowl of rice to Taiga, who was eyeing the new guests of the house with utmost suspicion.

"Thank you, Sakura," she said as soon as she received the bowl. When no one bothered to explain why there were new guests, she decided to open the topic.

"Who the hell are these people?!" she immediately shouted, surprising a few of them.

"Oh, sorry. Another batch of guests," replied Ilya simply, after which she continued eating. This, of course, angered Taiga.

"What do you mean "another batch of guests"?!" exclaimed Taiga, almost directly in Ilya's ear.

"Shirō! Taiga-oneechan is being mean!" she exclaimed in a childish manner as she fled to seek Shirō's protection.

"Well, how about you introduce them, Rin?" suggested Shirō. Rin glanced side wards, looking at Shirō then at Taiga. She gave a soft sigh and spoke.

"She's Medea, an acquaintance," she said, pointing at Caster. Medea nodded in acknowledgement of her introduction.

"Next we have Archer. He's very shy so don't bother making direct communication," said Rin, pointing this time at Archer. He merely grunted and looked away.

"Finally, we have Mr. Sōichirō Kuzuki, my former homeroom teacher," said Rin. "With that done, how about we continue eating?"

It only took a second's notice before Taiga found her ability to speak. It was, however, not very pleasant.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Do you honestly expect me to believe that this man is Sōichirō Kuzkui! The school informed all faculty members that he was involved in some accident and passed on!"

"Yup, now he's here as a spirit avenging his gruesome death!" exclaimed Ilya from the sidelines. This earned her a good smack on the head from Rin.

"Well, he is a spirit!" retorted Ilya who was tending to her aching head. This, of course, went unnoticed.

"At any rate, he is a spirit from the war I was telling you," explained Rin.

"Do you really expect me to believe this?" asked Taiga. The rest of them quickly nodded, all but the stone-faced Archer and Sōichirō.

"Well, you've all got to be crazy!"

"I have a suggestion as to how we can solve this peacefully…" said Saber, speaking up for the first time.

* * *

"You call this peaceful?" asked Shirō, basking in the irony of the situation. They were at Rin's backyard, Caster, Archer and Sōichirō on one side and Taiga on the other. It was a three on one duel and neither side had any objections.

"Well, this _**is**_ the only _**peaceful **_way they can settle this, right?" replied Saber. Shirō sighed and nodded.

"True…"

"How long do you think this'll last?" asked Rin, speaking to Saber and Shirō.

"Probably a few seconds, ten tops," replied Shirō in a hushed tone for fear of being overheard by Taiga.

"Okay, so let's get this straight, you can attack any way you want and the objective is to force the opponent to the ground," said Taiga. The opposition agreed.

"'Force the opponent to the ground?' How is that kendo?" asked Shirō.

"She'd be at a disadvantage if the first person hit loses so she set that rule. I don't know how she'll win though…"

Already at battle stance, Taiga prepared to charge. The three were nonchalant about the situation, seeing it as a mere annoyance.

"Ready… Fight!" exclaimed Taiga and charged forward. Her shinai held tightly by both hands, she dashed forward, ready to strike.

"Take this!" she shouted and launched an attack that was assumed to come from above. It was, however, a fake. In a split second, she positioned her weapon so that the feet were her target. It was still, however, a miss.

"Too slow…" said Archer as he merely extended his leg, tripping the dashing Taiga, causing her to fall flat on her face and lose the duel.

* * *

"That was a dirty trick, Archer!" complained Taiga as she nursed her throbbing nose.

"Well, anyway, I guess I lost," said Taiga regrettably. Suddenly hearing a soft pounding, Sakura took a glimpse of the outside through the window.

"It's raining again," said Sakura rather gloomily. The others took a quick glimpse and saw the still weak downpour.

"Hey Sakura, weren't you supposed to go shopping today?" wondered Rin.

"Yeah…" she started.

"I'll come with you!" she said brightly. "Should we go? Before it starts to rain really hard, that is,"

"Sure, I'll get my coat"

The two left the room, ascended the stairs and entered their respective rooms in preparation for their departure.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Shirō. As if he wasn't there, the remaining people in the living room left, presumably separating in order to do what they wish. This left Shirō alone inside the living room.

"Great…" he mumbled as he left the room in a dejected manner. He ascended the stairs and entered his room to take a break from it all.

* * *

_"Emiya, it seems you have stumbled upon this place again," said an ominous voice. He had returned to the place where flames burnt indefinitely, where the sky was always ablaze and the earth, always engulfed in fire._

_"Who are you?" asked Shirō. He knew it was in vain but pressed on with his inquiry._

_"Come show yourself!"_

_"Why should I, the landlord of this area, show myself to the pitiful gatecrasher?" taunted the voice. Still, Shirō had a feeling that if he pressed on, he would soon uncover the mysterious person._

_"Where am I?" he asked this time, referring to his location. The voice snickered a little._

_"You intrude yet you do not know where you are?" he asked, finding it amusing to taunt Shirō._

_"I was placed here by mistake!" he reasoned, all the more humoring the person._

_"Mistake? True, this connection was never supposed to have been established," replied the voice._

_"Connection? What do you mean by that?"_

_"A connection that links your subconscious with mine. Every time I enter this plane, it would seem that you can break the barriers erected and enter without warning"_

_"But I don't have that kind of power…"_

_"The only person allowed to enter this plane is me…" said the voice, eerily reducing the volume of his voice._

_"I see…" he suddenly said, finally figuring something._

_"What? What is it?" asked Shirō. For the first time, he saw numerous blades scatter in this field._

_"What is this? An armory?" asked Shirō, slightly kidding._

_"Something like that," said the voice. Those were his last words. The plane suddenly faded out of view and Shirō was thrown into a dark abyss which caused him to wake up._

"Ugh…" he said, rubbing his head. It was too dark to see what Shirō's expression was at the moment but it was evident that it was already night.

"Shirō," called out a feminine voice from outside his door. He immediately recognized the voice.

"Saber?" he called back, standing up and walking towards the door. Turing the door knob, he noticed that his hands were perspiring a lot. He wiped them on his shirt and opened the door.

"Shirō, dinner's ready," said Saber simply. "Will you be heading down or shall I tell them to wait for you?"

"Just start ahead, I'll be down after a few minutes," said Shirō.

"Okay, but hurry up. You know how Taiga is with food," said Saber, smiling as she found that particular image amusing. Shirō, too, smiled.

"I'll hurry, don't worry," said Shirō. Saber left and he closed the door. He headed straight for the closet to change into something more comfortable as his shirt was slightly soaked with sweat.

He noted, as he changed shirts, that it was still raining. Sighing slightly, he opened the door to his dark room and descended the stairs to join the others for dinner.

"Hey Shirō," said Taiga, swallowing the piece of beef whole and downing it without even taking a single bite. "Hurry up or else all that'll be left of the Sukiyaki are the vegetables,"

"Err… don't you think you'll choke if you continue to eat that whole…?" asked Sōichirō. Taiga looked at him for a second before asking an odd question.

"Who are you again?" she asked. The whole room practically fell over from that very question.

"He's Kuzuki-sensei! How could you forget that easily?!" exclaimed Shirō. Taiga took another look at the person who they were referring to as Sōichirō.

"Oh, okay," she said and made a grab for another piece of meat. It was, however, intercepted by Shirō who decided to take the offensive.

"Give me that back!" exclaimed Taiga as she darted towards the meat. Through the Holy Grail War, Shirō had acquired exceptional reflexes.

"That was delicious," said Shirō, teasing Taiga. He had swallowed the beef and dodged the attack.

"Why you…!" she exclaimed. This went on for a while until everyone was full. Sadly, Taiga was still a little fumed since she was outwitted by Shirō every time she made a dive for the meat.

* * *

"Here you go," said Sakura as she placed on the table a two layer cake coated with rich, dark chocolate and topped off with a couple of cherries. It was simple enough, but the mere sight of it made their mouths water.

"Looks great!" quickly exclaimed Taiga. I was not surprising to find that at the exact moment Sakura placed the cake on top of the table, Taiga had already started slicing. Of course, she was now half-way eating her second piece.

As they were arguing, Rin heard the doorbell ring even in the midst of the heavy rainfall. She forced herself up and made her way to open the door. She was wondering who on earth it could be at the middle of the night.

"Who is it?" she called out once she was near the door. When no answer came, she opened the door slightly, checking the figure outside. Due more to haste and importance rather than impatience and disrespect, the figure forcefully pushed the door open for his entrance. Rin was pushed back, making a loud thump. This caught everyone's attention and the quickly raced to the door.

"W-Who are you…" asked Rin in a quivering tone. The visitor was clad in a pitch black cloak and its hood was completely covering the visitor's face. Drenched by the rain, he made his way in, not mindful of the mess being made.

"It has been a while…," said the visitor as he grabbed the hood covering his face.

"I know that voice," said Saber immediately, drawing out Excalibur. The person hesitated to remove the cloak, fearing for the attack of the mighty king.

"Relax, put down the sword and I'll explain," came the reply. The hooded figure was trying to alleviate the tension between himself and Saber. It was, however, to no avail.

"Wait a minute, that voice… it can't be…" said Shirō, suddenly realizing who that person was.

"I should have worked on my voice, shouldn't I?" he said and took off the hood. A sudden chilling blast of wind entered the room and shocked them.

"Gilgamesh…" said Saber with contempt. She was ready to launch an attack at him, regardless of what would happen to the house.

"I didn't come here to fight, I came here to explain," he said, his arms raised in such a fashion that meant surrender. "Please, I really didn't come here to fight,"

"Gilgamesh saying please? What has gotten into him…" was the snide reply of Archer.

"Archer? You know him?" asked Rin, finally composing herself.

"Yes, we've met…"

"Oh… I see…" replied Rin, still disbelieving of Archer's tale.

"Anyway, I'm here to tell you something very important," said Gilgamesh.

"Oh really… Come to tell us your master has sent you to kill us here and now?" retorted Saber.

"Please Saber, understand. I will explain everything, just put down the sword and let me talk calmly and securely"

Before Saber could reply to his plea, Shirō intervened, sensing that this may actually be the truth, or as far as his instincts could tell him.

"Let's hear him out first. If he draws out his sword or uses his Noble Phantasm, kill him," said Shirō. Saber, and the rest, let down their guard. Of course, this was only physically seen. Mentally, however, they were battle ready.

"Well, what is it that you want to talk about?" asked Shirō. A momentary pause was acquired by Gilgamesh as he drew breath.

"It's about the Holy Grail…"

* * *

That ends Chapter 6! Nothing more to say except Please Read and Review! Thanks! 


	7. The Holy Grail

I'm back!I finally finished this chapter! It was a very hectic month (and start of the year) for me since exams and project deadlines were approaching...

Anyway, you probably don't want anymore ranting about that...

Before everything, thanks to all my reviewers and readers! Really appreciate you taking time to read / review them! Thanks!

Now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fate/Stay Night and any of Type-Moon's stuff.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Holy Grail**

"What about the Holy Grail?" asked Shirō. It was at that moment that thunder struck. A little offbeat, but it still sent shivers down their spines. Having already transferred to the living room in order to make themselves more comfortable, they were all anticipating Gilgamesh's explanation. Well, there was still animosity between them and the King of Heroes.

"Okay, to start things off, I'd like everyone not to stare at me like they want to dismember me and burn the pieces," said Gilgamesh, his hands raised in surrender.

"It can't be helped, you did annihilate Shirō's house," explained Taiga.

"Okay, first off, that wasn't me…" he said but no one paid heed to his words.

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" asked Rin. She wasn't there when it happened but she figured that it was a lame excuse.

"Anyway, you can hold grudges as long as you want but I'll still say my part… But can you please stop sending me death glares?!"

I would've been funnier if he was cowering and shaking but they figured they wouldn't be able to make the arrogant King of Heroes to submit to that. Since there was no other choice, they decided to let him relax for a while.

"As you all probably know, there has been a total of five Holy Grail Wars, with the fifth starting only ten years after the fourth and has ended two years ago. In light of recent discoveries, it was revealed that among there was a strange occurrence in one of the Holy Grail War. It so happened that a servant, believed to have tainted the Holy Grail, has been imprisoned inside of it"

"By its desecration, the War had been sent into chaos. It is believed that because of this phenomenon, servants who are not truly qualified for the war are now available for summoning. For one reason or another, these epic spirits were not actually supposed to be available"

"Anyway, we're not here to talk about that. What else about the Holy Grail are you going to tell us?" interjected Medea, this being her first statement in a while. Gilgamesh nodded in acknowledgement and continued his explanation. She knew, it truth, that she was one of those who were not really qualified for the war.

"Err… right… With the desecration of the grail, another servant was brought into play but was not summoned since the fifth war. This new eighth class was given the designation of Avenger. It has continuously been imprisoned in the Grail, thus the cause of its contamination,"

"Avenger? I've never heard of that servant before…" said Rin.

"This was only discovered recently," he explained. "Avenger's presence is what defiles the grail,"

"I think we've heard enough…" said an irritated Archer. "It would probably be better appreciated if we hear more about the grail's actual plans, not the reason for its defilement"

"Fine, fine," mumbled Gilgamesh in an irritated tone.

"First of all, the grail wishes to create a perfect astral body to walk on this plane. To achieve that, he plans on acquiring the nine astral gemstones, mana gemstones to the unfamiliar. You probably all know that the servant summoned are in search of these gems"

"Mind if I interject?" interrupted Sōichirō courteously. Gilgamesh nodded.

"Are you familiar with the participating servants in the grail? The ones you think are still alive, that is"

"Well, we have Archer, you, me, Saber, Medea, Hercules, Circe and, if I am not mistaken, Rider"

"Rider?!" burst out Sakura as she stood due to both excitement and astonishment.

"Y-yes, rider. Medusa, I believe,"

"Do you know where is she?" inquired Sakura. It was noticeable that this was beyond mere curiosity.

"I am not sure of her actual whereabouts but I am sure she is doing well. The master has not sent any commands to deal with her in any way. But she is under the master's control at the moment…," explained Gilgamesh.

Sakura was overcome with great relief as she took her seat once more. Taiga, as well as Shirō, was looking at Sakura strangely. She, however, did not notice.

"Due to the lack of mana from the grail's accomplice, the grail itself has created an imperfect astral body in exchange for devouring one of the mana gemstones. Unfortunately, even in its imperfect form, the grail's body is already on par with most servants,"

"On par with most servants? Which ones?" inquired Archer.

"Well, the most I've seen is that the grail's imperfect body can defeat Circe in battle, along with Berserker,"

"Most…? Being able to take those two, I believe we're outmatched," said Sōichirō.

"Even though the grail can defeat the two, it has difficulty dealing with Noble Phantasms having a wide area of effect. An example would be my Enûma Elish,"

"So, you're saying that we would be an inconvenience? Sōichirō and I are more capable of single target direct assaults," stated Archer.

"Are you sure about that? I am aware of your powerful Noble Phantasm that prevented me from defeating you," interrupted Sōichirō.

"That Noble Phantasm, as it was deemed, is nothing more than an imaginary battlefield that I created in order to give me an advantage over my opponents. It doesn't exactly fight the battle for me,"

Thinking it was unwise to continue the discussion, Sōichirō did not reply. Gilgamesh decided to intervene immediately in hopes of finishing everything he had to say.

"Anyway, the grail has a number of powerful Noble Phantasms in his arsenal," continued Gilgamesh. Attention shifted back to him immediately at the mention of "powerful Noble Phantasms".

"I've only seen one which was able to completely negate an attack made by Berserker's Noble Phantasm, Nine Lives,"

"It sounds something like Rule Breaker… but useable only in battle" said Medea.

"Yes, it activates only when the grail is actually the target. Otherwise, it doesn't work. The Grail calls it 'Phantasm Break', if I remember correctly"

"Nine Lives, huh? That's Berserker's Noble Phantasm that fires nine consecutive shots, right?" asked Archer.

"Yeah…"

"I see…" replied Archer then immediately became silent. Gilgamesh was bothered by his inquiry as it connoted something which could be beneficial. However, the servant was not up to the task of asking.

"Basically, that's all I know about the grail's plan," said Gilgamesh.

"Well, at least we have a background on what's going on…" said Shirō. Gilgamesh then stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Rin.

"I need to return to the master. I was only supposed to scout the area and report back afterwards. I'll have to think of something to tell them…"

"I was just wondering, why did you tell us all this?" asked Shirō. Truth be told, he wasn't the only one wondering. Many questioning looks could be seen amongst them.

"Well, let's just say I have my reasons. Oh, and before I forget, the one who destroyed your house wasn't me. It was a replica created by the Holy Grail. I'm assuming it was one of his Noble Phantasms, but I'm not too sure,"

Gilgamesh opened the door and stepped outside. The rain had stopped but its traces were still present. Carefully closing the door, Gilgamesh left the Tōsaka estate and completely vanished from view.

* * *

"An astral body, huh?" said Shirō aloud. He was outside, gazing at the stars. It was at this precise moment that Saber came into view. 

"Saber?" asked Shirō as he stood to face her. Saber walked slowly closer, gazing at the stars as Shirō did.

"They're really beautiful," she said, her head still looking at the stars above. They both took a seat on the grassy area, despite it still being a little damp.

"Yeah, they're very calming," he added and looked upward. A few moments of silence later, Shirō decided to ask Saber what she was doing here.

"Something bothering you?" he asked. Saber took her eyes of the stars and looked a Shirō briefly. She then looked upward once again.

"Actually, yes. I was wondering about the grail and what it was planning to do. Thinking about it, you wouldn't actually call it Holy anymore…"

"Yeah, I was wondering about that too. It seems strange that the grail would set up something this absurd. It's probably that avenger servant thing,"

"Maybe, but we aren't sure. After all, the grail itself might have been a living person used by one of the three families to become the storehouse of servants and the granter of wishes…"

"That could be true…"

"But seriously, I find this whole thing ridiculous. What does the grail wish to accomplish by doing this?!" blurted out Saber. Upon realizing that she had released her anger upon Shirō, she blushed and apologized profusely. Shirō merely laughed.

"You do have a point there. It's extremely vague as to what the grail actually wants. It'd just be too cliché if it was something like world domination…"

"Hey Shirō, Saber, get inside! You're going to catch a cold if you stay outside any longer!" shouted Taiga from the backdoor of the house.

"Okay!" replied Shirō as he stood up.

"Let's go," he said and offered Saber his hand. Saber, surprised at the gesture, took his hand hesitantly. He pulled her up but overdid it, thus pulling Saber towards himself, causing their faces to become mere inches apart.

The two stood in that position for a while, unable to decide what to do. Both their cheeks were starting to become a light shade of pink. Taiga, fortunately or unfortunately, called for the two again, freeing them out of their awkward situation.

"Err… right, let's go," said Shirō, his face glowing red. Saber's face was not far off from his shade.

"R-right, let's g-go," said Saber and they went back to the house. Shirō found it slightly strange that they were still having butterflies, or was it just him? Anyway, he did find the whole romance thing a bit enjoying, if not irritating. Nevertheless, he did miss Saber's cute blushing face.

* * *

Shirō slept uncomfortably that night. He kept tossing and turning and was perspiring heavily. He did this for a few hours before finally being woken up by the surprising burst of pain that emitted from his chest and head. He clutched his chest with one hand and tried to ease the pain in his head with the other. 

"Argh!" he whispered, trying his best not to awaken anyone despite the pain. He tried to stand but fell to the floor in agony. He lied there for awhile, numbed by the pain. However, he forced himself to stand knowing that merely lying down wouldn't solve anything.

Upon successfully standing, he slowly made his way to the door. He used the wall as support in order to reach the bathroom as walked in the hall of the house. In a nasty turn of events, his vision blurred and he soon fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Though he tried to maintain consciousness, it was far too great to bear. With one last yelp of pain, he slipped into unconsciousness.

He wasn't aware of the figure that was behind him nor was he aware of another figure entering his room. As far as he was concerned, his unconsciousness brought about his freedom from the immense pain that he had felt.

* * *

"What the…" mumbled Shirō as the rays of the sun hit him. He was back in his bedroom, lying down on the bed. He was surprised to see the image of Archer standing by the window sill. Shirō noticed that there were scratches on his face that seemed to have been recently inflicted. This was never brought up, however, as Archer taunted him that morning. 

"Fell asleep while walking the halls, Emiya?"

"I fell unconscious," he merely stated. He was wondering, for the most part, how he got back to his bed.

"Oh really now…," taunted Archer, amused.

"Anyway, where's Kuzuki-sensei? I didn't see him last night when I got back to my room and when I woke up last night…"

"I don't know. He doesn't tell with me where he goes. Either way, I'm not one to care where he is," replied Archer.

Without another word, Shirō took a change of clothes and proceeded to the bathroom. Archer was left behind, still standing by the window sill.

"It would seem that my theory is correct…"

* * *

"Okay, we need to search for clues again. This time, we'll be split into teams of two to make scouting faster," explained Rin, everyone present, including Sakura and Taiga, which was actually a bit strange. 

"To make things simple, it'll be Saber and Shirō, Caster and Kuzuki-sensei, Archer and me, Sakura, Ms. Fujimura and Ilya,"

"I want to be with Shirō!" exclaimed Ilya and rushing towards the pair. Rin quickly pulled her back.

"You'll only get in the way. Also, with this setup, each group will be able to easily identify anomalies,"

"Fine," pouted Ilya. Rin ignored this and proceeded with the plans.

"Okay, we need to act fast. We're looking for anything out of the ordinary so be constantly vigilant. We'll split up and cover the different parts of Fuyuki City…"

* * *

The groups searched the whole day through Fuyuki, passing numerous establishments and people along the way. They re-visited old sights such as Ryūdōji Temple, the school and the church among others. 

They searched Fuyuki completely, not missing any place that might've been suspicious and those seemingly innocent were also checked. The rigorous day was filled with continuous searching but they ended up with nothing out of the ordinary.

"Not a single lead…" said Rin as she plopped down on her armchair. The rest were also very tired and weary.

"Yeah, and we searched the whole city and couldn't find anything," added Ilya.

"There should've been at least something…" said Shirō. He was wondering why nothing had come up.

"If what Gilgamesh says is true, then the grail must've done something already. After all, it did create a physical body…"

"Medea, aren't Casters equipped with a Territory Creation skill?" asked Archer suddenly. Ilya looked at Medea while as Rin looked at Archer inquisitively. Among the two, it seemed Ilya was the one who got Archer's meaning.

"Y-yes. I believe all are capable of creating territories but some Caster servants are better than others…"

"Are you suggesting that Circe created a territory for them?" asked Ilya.

"It is possible but I don't know if we'll be able to find them…" replied Archer.

"What are you getting at Archer?" asked Rin. "Do you know something about this?"

"It's a theory but I believe there was one place we forgot to check a while back…"

"Where's that?" asked Shirō. Archer smiled unexpectedly.

"Your house…"

* * *

The moon was at its highest point in the sky that night. Everyone, aside from Sakura and Taiga, were all running towards Shirō's lot. It was ironic how they forgot about the place where everything practically started. 

"Why didn't we think of it before?!" wondered Rin aloud as they were running through road to Shirō's house.

Ilya stopped abruptly, catching the attention of the others and themselves stopping as well.

"What is it Ilya?" asked Shirō. Ilya closed her eyes and started sensing the area, ignoring Shirō's question for a while.

"There's a barrier setup here. It's not that wide but if we're not careful, we may alert them of our presence…,"

"I think it's a little too late for that…" said Circe. She revealed herself near one of the many trees that were located in the vicinity.

"What?! How could we not have sensed you?!" asked Rin, astonished at how the servant was able to conceal her presence that well.

"Simple, I used the numerous servants around you to blend in. It's easy when there's more than one servant present," she replied.

"But… how did _**we**_ alert you of our presence?" asked Ilya. Circe laughed sardonically at this one.

"Simple, you passed a sensor. Completely magic free but effective," she said, smiling haughtily. "If you're wondering, it was the master's idea…"

"This was really well thought out, wasn't it?" said Rin smiling in spite of herself.

Circe laughed rather maniacally. It was slightly unnerving, and irritating at the same time, to hear such a high-pitched voice.

"Berserker! Annihilate them!" exclaimed Circe. They anticipated where the brutish servant might appear. All sides were readily covered but they did not anticipate that the giant could find a high enough place to jump from and come crashing down.

Berserker fell like a meteor and almost flattened everyone. It was fortunate that while he was in mid-air, Saber had already sensed his presence and had jumped to block the attack. Their weapons clashed and forced Berserker to abandon his first attack. They both fell to the ground, Saber on the left and Berserker on the right of the group.

A hasty intervention from Circe snapped everyone from their reverie.

"Scylla!" she exclaimed unleashing the giant beast. With its six long necks and deadly rows of sharp fangs, it was truly a monstrous sight. She had twelve canine feet and a fish's tail.

"Wasn't that the monster from before?" asked Shirō.

"Ex-" she uttered but was abruptly stopped by Berserker's own Noble Phantasm, Nine Lives. These poison tainted arrows were only narrowly avoided by Saber. The rest had taken action, aside from Shirō. Berserker was attacked by Sōichirō, along with Rin. Ilya, assisting Saber, continuously unleashed a myriad of magic jewels she had acquired from Rin earlier on.

Archer, however, was nowhere to been seen on the battlefield. He had fled in search of Circe. He completely disappeared from the scene, leaving the rest to fend for themselves.

"Target Annihilation!" exclaimed Sōichirō. It was either due to his stubborn nature or forgetful mind that he decided to attack Berserker. His Noble Phantasm did nothing to Berserker as he was incapable of damaging the beast. Shirō, acting hastily, threw Kanshō and Bakuya.

"I'll take it from here!" said Shiro. Tracing the twin blades once again, he charged at Berserker. "Kuzuki-sensei, help the others take Scylla down. I'll handle this one,"

"Futile human, can you not see that even your epic spirit could not defeat me?" said Berserker. This caught Shirō offguard. Taking the opportunity, Berserker swung his blade. Shirō, through his reflexes, was able to soften the blow. He was still, however, propelled a great distance.

"Shirō!" exclaimed Rin as she ran towards Shirō's body. He was bleeding but only to an extent.

"Wake up!" she exclaimed as she gently shook him. Shirō became conscious again and stood.

"Let's go…," he said. Rin followed, forcefully casting away her worries about Shirō's injury.

"Excalibur!" exclaimed Saber finally. The time it took to actually invoke Excalibur was not proportionate to its ability to subdue the beast. The attack hit Scylla but merely damaged the mythical creature. Sōichirō, following Shirō's command, assisted Saber. He knew that this time, he would be able to successfully utilized his attack.

"Target Annihilation!" he exclaimed. His fists fiercely beat up Scylla's body, rendering it vulnerable. Ilya, grasping in her hand the last three jewels, threw them at Scylla.

It was astonishing as the jewels Ilya had thrown shone a crimson red. The jewels set the creature ablaze, burning it in brimstone. Shrill cries came from Scylla as she was devoured by the flame. Sōichirō retreated and went to Rin and Shirō to aid them with Berserker. Saber, as well as Ilya, ran after him.

"Foolish," uttered Berserker as he fled the scene. Archer had returned but was in worse shape than the already Berserker-beaten Shirō and Rin. He collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the pain.

Saber, Ilya and Sōichirō arrived momentarily. They were agape as they laid eyes on the three bodies that lay before them.

"Hey, where's Medea?" asked Ilya. Saber, only noticing, inquired about this too. Sōichirō, however, was slightly troubled.

"She was abducted in the struggle. I noticed that she had disappeared when Berserker attacked us earlier on. Archer disappeared as well and I assumed he went looking for her but I believe it didn't turn out as I hoped…"

* * *

Saber, Sōichirō and Ilya gently placed the unconscious bodies of Shirō, Rin and Archer in the living room so it would be easier to attend to them. 

"I wonder what happened…" said Saber silently. Ilya had come back from the kitchen with towels and a basin. The scratches and injuries inflicted on Shirō and Rin were neither lethal nor life-threatening. In Archer's case, however, it would seem that if he wasn't an epic spirit, he would've died a long time ago.

"We'll have to wait until they wake up…" replied Sōichirō. As if on cue, Archer suddenly moved. It was brought about by the injuries inflicted by his opponent, whoever it was.

"I guess it wouldn't do good to wake them up so we'll have to wait 'till morning…" suggested Sōichirō.

"Yeah, it would cause a lot more trouble if we were to wake them up now…" added Ilya.

The moon, a rather strange shade of azure, was glimmering down on Fuyuki and the rest of Japan as it descended the night sky. Whether it was ominous or not, one could not tell. However, it was at this moment in time that a grand plan had been put into action somewhere around the world…

* * *

So that's the end of that!  
Okay, there were some seemingly rushed parts and I found the opening a bit boring, but I can't really help that... 

Well, that said and done, please read and review!


	8. Wrath of the Witch

Chapter 8's up! So, a little slow on the storyline in this one. Nothing too action packed, I guess...

Now...

**Kawazoe Kazuma** - I've actually thought about that (and really want to see him trace the trasury) but one of my friends pointed out that Unlimited Blade Works was something like Gate of Babylon already (except Gilgamesh already has them made while Archer is in the process of making them, among the other things he said).

**Storm Dragon Girl** - yeah, well... I forgot to add an explanation to that... hehe... no, actually it'll be explained in the next chapter why Berserker can use Nine Lives (among other things, of course).

Thanks to everyone who reviewed / read! I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I own not Fate/Stay Night, neither its characters nor any of Type-Moon's characters and such... sadly, that is...

* * *

**Chapter 8: Wrath of the Witch**

Glittering in the sunlight, Sōichirō's glass of orange juice lay still on the coffee table in the living room. The three had barely stirred during the transition from night to day so Saber, Sōichirō and Ilya could do nothing but wait.

"This is becoming tedious," commented Sōichirō, staring strangely at the glass before him.

"Well, I did suggest that we should leave them alone for a while," retorted Ilya, taking a sip from her cup of lukewarm lemon tea. She was seated on the armchair Rin normally sat on.

"Where is Saber anyway? I haven't seen her for a while," inquired Ilya. Sōichirō did not answer the question, partially due to the fact that he himself did not know.

"Ugh…" stirred Shirō. Dropping her cup, she quickly went to Shirō's aid. He was trying to sit up despite the aches in his back and legs.

"Shirō," said Ilya softly. Shirō slowly opened his eyes; flinching both due to the light and the pain he was still experiencing.

"Are you sure you should be up?" asked Ilya.

"Yeah, I'm… alright …" he mumbled with difficulty.

"I'll get you something to drink…" said Ilya and rushed out of the room. Sōichirō waited for a few seconds before bluntly asking Shirō what happened last night.

"What happened?"

Shirō was still trying to adjust his sight as it was very blurry.

"Huh?" replied Shirō, squinting his eyes due to sudden exposure to the light.

"What happened last night?" repeated Sōichirō once again.

_**Flashback:**_

_"Rin, I'll distract him, you use your magic jewels to freeze him!" bellowed Shirō as he dashed forward to Berserker._

_Berserker laughed maniacally at Shirō's statement and drew from his arsenal the almighty bow and arrow set._

_"Foolish child, do you think you can match me with those daggers of yours?" taunted Berserker. Shirō did not reply as he leapt into the air. He was intending to slice Berserker. This, however, proved fatal for him._

_"Nine Lives!" exclaimed Berserker, unleashing the nine poison-tainted arrows. Shirō was not able to dodge them all as five of the nine shots hit him, one for each arm and leg and the last one grazing his cheek. He immediately dropped to the floor, writhing in pain._

_Rin aborted the plan and just threw a cornucopia of her magic jewels, all having a unique effect. She hastily made her way to Shirō who was barely conscious._

_"Shirō!" exclaimed Rin. Shirō had difficulty hearing her but heard her nonetheless._

_"R-Rin…?" he mumbled._

_"Shirō?! Wake up, darn it!" she yelled, forcing him to fully regain consciousness._

_"Berserker!" exclaimed a man endowed with such a firm voice._

_"M-master!" replied Berserker. Shirō could barely see this but he could depict a giant servant kneeling down before someone much, much smaller than him. The man's face was cloaked in darkness as the moonlight refused to shine upon him._

_"Where is Circe?" he asked. Berserker merely fell silent._

_"Look for her; I'll take care of this one…"_

_The last thing Shirō saw was a malicious glow of violet and then he blacked out_

_**End Flashback**_

"That's as much as I can remember…" said Shirō. Sōichirō nodded and departed suddenly.

"What's with him…?" he asked himself, the last person left in the room.

* * *

"Berserker! Caster!" exclaimed a loud voice. Unpierced by the rays of the sun, the room was perpetually dark. The glinting eyes of Berserker and the luminous tip of Circe's staff were the only two objects identifiable in the room. 

"Master?" asked Circe, humbling her tone and could be assumed kneeling as rustling of clothes and a slight tap on the ground could be heard. Berserker's actions, on the other hand, were indescribable except for the fact that he was standing as his eyes glinted somewhere significantly above Circe's staff.

"We have been sloppy in dealing with this… We cannot permit anymore screw ups… The dawn of death has come and we shall bear witness to the demise of the Heavens…"

His words baffled even Circe who had astonishing knowledge of many and various things. She did not know her master well enough to assume anything.

"The dawn of darkness approaches and the luminous glint of the moon will disappear. The denizens of darkness shall bear its fangs and plunge into the wills of the populace…"

"Master… W-we are u-unaware of your p-plans…" stated Circe nervously. What could only be assumed as a quick turn of the head on the shadowed figure's part, Circe suddenly became silent.

"Fool!" he hissed angrily. "I am aware that you are baffled by my words, Circe. You can not possibly begin to image my hatred for this world. I despise it above all things and I can not let it last any longer,"

"For centuries, I have watched these humans run amuck, defiling the magnificence of which is nature…"

It was impossible to tell whether Circe was shaking in fear or standing her ground. The next words that came from their master's mouth stunned the two of them immediately.

"Despite your insolence, I am entrusting to you this task…"

* * *

Back in the Tōsaka residence, Rin and Archer had already woken up from their slumber and were being attended to by Ilya and, after recovering, Shirō. 

"You took quite a few blows last night," stated Ilya. Rin grimaced at the thought.

"Blame the idiot trying to jump at Berserker…" she said wearily.

Shirō laughed nervously at Rin's statement.

"If you'll excuse me… I need to… umm… err… refill my glass…" he said and scurried away, bumping his knee on the table in the process. They could hear a yelp of pain outside and the two girls laughed softly.

"What did happen last night, Rin?" asked Ilya, unaware of the story. Archer had departed earlier, claiming he was needed elsewhere.

"Well… as much as I can remember…"

_**Flashback**_

_"Rin, I'll distract him, you use your magic jewels to freeze him!" bellowed Shirō as he dashed forward to Berserker._

_Rin, as she had already planned, climbed a nearby tree to give herself an aerial advantage, to an extent. She heard Berserker's laugh and shuddered as it was truly nerve-breaking._

_She did not notice Shirō leap until the last second. The arrows had darted forward and had severely injured Shirō, creating rips on his shirt and wounding his face._

_She panicked, noticing that Shirō wasn't moving after he fell down. She immediately jumped from the tree and threw ten out of the fifteen jewels currently in her pouch. They had varying colors, but were mostly white._

_Almost as soon as she was by Shirō, she heard a loud voice calling Berserker. The giant quickly turned and faced his master. The giant's unwavering voice faltered in front of his master. He kneeled, fearing his judgment._

_The person was looking for Circe, and Berserker had no idea where she was. The last thing she saw was a bright flash of malicious violet light and she blacked-out._

_**End Flashback**_

"That guy's scary…" said Ilya. Rin nodded in agreement.

"I wonder where Saber, Sir Kuzuki and Archer are…" wondered Rin.

"They're probably just scouting the area or something…" replied Ilya, taking a sip from the cup of tea she held.

* * *

"I knew I'd find you here…" said a deep voice. Saber quickly turned around, her weapon ready. 

She released the huge air taken in as soon as she saw it was only Archer.

"Archer, you startled me for a moment there…" she said. As usual, Archer snidely commented on this.

"How are you the Best Class if you can't even detect my presence?" he mocked.

"How are you an archer if you always use your twin daggers? Shouldn't your signature weapon be your bow and arrow set? Or has Berserker taken that too?" remarked Saber then quickly turned to the book she held.

Archer was stunned but quickly gained composure. He was caught off-guard with her witty remark.

"Touché," he merely complimented. Saber smiled a little and returned to reading the book she previously held. Secluded from the sunlight, the place was dark and damp.

"Might I ask what you are reading?" asked Archer, looking at the small book Saber held. She sighed and threw it at him. Archer elegantly caught it.

"It's an old book about Magic Warfare and Servant Lore. It's supposed to be the basis of magi when participating in the Holy Grail War. I thought it could enlighten me with a few things but it didn't…"

The book was old, its leather over was torn and its lock had been smashed. It bore the initials "T" and "T", letters embossed in gold on the cover. It was roughly the size of a regular notebook and was no thicker than a regular ledger.

"Magic Warfare and Servant Lore? I believe you already a lot on the subject…"

"There are some things that I do not comprehend nor know," replied Saber. She was scanning a bookcase filled with dusty books thicker than an encyclopedia. They were either embossed with the letters "T. T" or "A. T", some with "A. Z".

"There is a cornucopia of books but none of which I am looking for…"

"What exactly are you looking for?" asked Archer. Though not like him, he wished to help Saber in this particular activity.

"A book entitled Servants and Twilight: Dawn of Demise or something similar. It was a book I saw Kiritsugu reading in the past," said Saber. Archer frowned and bowed his head. He did not expect Saber to find out about it.

"Servants and Twilight, eh? I am already particular with the contents of the tome," he said, his head still bowed. Saber ceased searching and slowly glanced back at Archer.

"Is that why you were working with Medea, Archer?" questioned Saber. Archer faced her, his face serious.

"I can tell you anything you wish about the book, but in return, you must not ask about my intentions…."

* * *

The moonlight slowly spilled unto the room where Shirō, Ilya, Sakura, Taiga and Rin were eating dinner. It was somewhat a little too much as Sakura had prepared another delectable banquet fit for a King and his whole court. 

"Where are Saber and the rest?" asked Taiga. She was choosing between the salmon and shark's fin. In the end, she took a little of both.

"We don't actually know. The all disappeared and didn't tell us anything…" replied Rin. Sakura handed Ilya another bowl of rice in the background.

"They'll probably come back a little later," said Sakura, trying to reassure everyone. It was precisely at that moment Saber came bursting in the room, Archer soon entering after her.

"Shirō!" she cried immediately, not wasting time to rest. Her face was dripping with sweat, her hair messed slightly as if she had run a marathon and back. Archer was more or less in the same condition, except he had bruises.

"Saber!" said Shirō hastily, taking into consideration their condition. He quickly approached her. The three women suddenly stood, strangely in unison.

"What is it?" he asked, leading her to a chair to rest. She hastily declined the offer.

"It's... about… Medea and… Sōichirō…" she said in between breaths. Shirō was puzzled, as well as Sakura, Rin and Ilya.

To their surprise, she suddenly collapsed with Archer catching her at the last moment. He shook her vigorously but it was to no avail…

* * *

"What happened, Archer?" asked Rin. It took almost thirty minutes for them to finally start the conversation as Archer had secluded himself for a while. 

"Well…"

_**Flashback**_

_"Archer, what is the 'dawn of Twilight'?" asked Saber, facing Archer completely, her previous quest discarded. Archer sighed._

_"That question may open up some things that are rather disturbing… nevertheless; I'll tell you if you really wish…"_

_Saber nodded and Archer proceeded with his tale._

_"The 'dawn of twilight' is what the more superior magi know as the 'abysmal awakening'. The title 'dawn of twilight' symbolizes when it'll happen, at exactly the point where light and darkness are at the same point, balancing everything out. Twilight is the name given to the point in time wherein the sun has yet to rise or to set."_

_"Wait, what does it have to do with anything?" inquired Saber, Archer sighed once again._

_"Be patient, I'm getting there. Twilight is the midpoint of night and day; similar to the division of yin and yang, the spirit world and real world and so on. "_

_"Twilight, for the mana gemstones, actives tremendous power. This phenomenon is called the abysmal awakening as it awakes the abysmal guardians' power inside the stone."_

_"Does the grail plan to use this power to complete his astral body?" interjected Saber._

_"I thought that too, at first but I decided to inquire a bit more on the subject. I discovered something unusual about the power of the mana gemstone. It can be used to summon a large number of servants at once using only a single catalyst and a single sacrifice. With that, I believe the Grail intends to do something bigger than we have imagined…"_

_"You expect the grail to summon a large number of servants to serve him in the search for the mana gemstones?" asked Saber. Archer nodded._

_"I think I know what he intends to do, actually…"_

_"What is it?"_

_"The grail intends to return back the legendary sailor-warriors known as the Argonauts…"_

_"Argonauts? I think I've heard about them before… wasn't their leader Jason?" asked Saber. Archer nodded._

_"Yes and he already has the items in place in order to summon the ferocious band of warriors…"_

_"The more suitable sacrifice would be Berserker, right? He was part of the expedition after all… but what about the catalyst?"_

_"Quick as ever, Saber. The catalyst to be used belongs to Medea, actually…"_

_"Medea? Does she posses such an item to summon the warriors of the Argonaut?"_

_"What was their objective when the formed the group?"_

_"Was it not the Golden Fleece?"_

_"Exactly…"_

_**End Flashback**_

"What?!" exclaimed Rin suddenly, surprising them all. "Are you serious?! You really expect me to believe that the grail is trying to summon the entire Argonaut fleet?!"

"Yes, I am. I am merely speculating, however…"

"But to summon such a large group… Unimaginable… What could that darn grail be planning?!"

"I can not say. However, I do find it somehow strange…"

"What? That Medea was not chosen as a sacrifice?" joined in Ilya. Archer nodded.

"Why is it so strange?" asked Shirō. Ilya smiled a little.

"Well, I don't expect anyone to have memorized the entire fleet but you should've known that Medea was included in that expedition, but at a later time,"

"Well, technically we're not sure if Berserker is actually the sacrifice or what will happen since nothing is said in the text about these occurrences. No Holy Grail War has ever started before the abysmal awakening," said Archer.

"True but we should be alert," said Rin. Saber finally stirred and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she murmured was "Archer" then "Shirō".

Only Archer minded this fact, partially because he had cut the retelling of what had actually transpired.

_**Continue Flashback**_

_The two were headed back to the Tōsaka residence. Surprisingly, they were merely walking._

_"Archer, I have another question…" said Saber. She was rather disturbed and at the same time excited to hear his reaction._

_"Go," said Archer simply as they continued to walk along the moonlit path. They had crossed the park upon Saber's request._

_"You're Shirō, aren't you?" she asked and stopped. Archer was ahead of her but he stopped dead in his tracks._

_"What made you say that?" he retorted nonchalantly. Saber smiled a little, feeling she had trapped the great Faker._

_"Simple. You and Shirō bear quite a resemblance, but not physically. You both use twin daggers as your primary weapon, Kanshō and Bakuya if I am not mistaken. You both are skilled tracers and skilled at reinforcement. You throw your daggers in a similar fashion as I was told by Rin. Finally, you have that sort-of "Hero of Justice" idealism, though yours is a bit lacking…"_

_Archer remained speechless. Not because he wanted to, however, but because he was forced to. He could not jeopardize his mission in this time frame. After silencing himself for a bit, he merely sighed and uttered a few words which delighted Saber._

_"Make of it what you wish but Emiya is still Emiya and I am still myself," he stated. It was after this that Berserker had appeared before them…_

_**End Flashback**_

"Saber!" exclaimed Shirō for the umpteenth time in a row. Due to his own personal flashback, Archer sighed heavily. Ilya noticed this and came closer to him slowly.

"What's wrong, Archer?" she whispered. Archer shook his head and smiled slightly but made sure Ilya did not notice.

"Nothing…" he said and patted Ilya on the head subconsciously. He retracted his hand immediately afterwards and walked towards Saber. Ilya was startled by his affectionate action and felt the top of her head. It was unusually calming and felt warm and good, which furthered Ilya's curiosity and wonder.

"How is she?" asked Shirō. Rin shook her head.

"No good, I can't identify the origin of the illness…"

"It was Circe's attack," stated Archer. "We were ambushed while returning here. I held her off long enough for Saber to escape and tell you about the grail's intentions but I seemed to have had difficulty dealing with her. In the end, she was hit by the 'Grecian Chant…"

"Grecian Chant? What's that?" inquired Shirō.

"A powerful Noble Phantasm she has developed over the years. It combines the ultimate powers of the Greek Magi in one blow that immense deteriorates a servant's astral body. It requires a catalyst, something bearing the person or servant's DNA composition. It's supposedly short-range but she has elevated its use," explained Archer.

"Well, how do we deal with it?!" interject Shirō. Archer frowned and retorted, angrily if observed.

"I would have told you as soon as possible had I known! The only probable cure would be to smash that scepter of hers into bits to free her from the curse," he retorted.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Shirō and stood. Ilya was about to follow suite when suddenly, a brilliant flash of dark violet spilled into the room. It smashed the windows facing the backyard of the Tōsaka residence.

"You need not search for me any longer, mortals!" she exclaimed haughtily.

"You witch! What have you done to Saber?!" yelled Shirō. She laughed loudly, rendering their ears in pain. She ceased as soon as Archer traced Kanshō and Bakuya.

"I am only here to have fun with you guys, I have no intention of actually fighting you fiercely," she said, haughtily as ever.

"I have basked in the powers of the master for a lengthy period of time, granting me enhanced abilities. I need not Noble Phantasm or servant to kill you all," she announced, laughing maniacally afterwards. She suddenly smiled when she saw Shirō and Archer, liking her lips in delight.

"Should you not inquire about that Assassin and Medea?" she said, facing Archer. "I am quite aware of the fact that you already know part of my master's plan…"

"What have you done to them?!" shouted Archer, startling Rin as she had never shouted like that before.

"The ritual has started and is about to commence. Twilight approaches and the conditions have been set. Of course, you will have to deal with me first…"

Dark clouds surround the Tōsaka residence, overshadowing the luminous light of the sky. The end had finally started.

* * *

Okay! That ends Chapter 8. I found the ending a bit... well... lacking but anyway, you be the judge.  
Really need your comments for future updates! Thanks to Alucard180 for his suggestion (which, if you don't mind, I'll be using) last time (a few chapters ago)  
Anyway, please read and review! 


	9. The Legendary Argonauts

Hey everyone! I'm back! It has been a really long time since I last updated. So anyway, I'll answer a few reviews and you can go on your way to read this chapter!

**Blue Bragon** **-** interesting idea, though I'm not familiar with Godo - you'll have to tell me more about the character  
**Kawazoe Kazuma **- Sadly, I can't use Iolaus for that reason (but I might use him) - I was planning on using a different character to bring him back to his senses but I appreciate the idea**  
Alucard180 **- Yeah, I felt the other chapter ended badly... Anyway, thanks, though I won't be using the idea until a few more chapters after this one  
**DeathB4Dishonor **- Yeah, sorry 'bout that - but don't worry, your Norse Servant**s** will come soon after this major arc is over!  
** Sonzai Taz & Willy Bilsters - **thanks for the review - I was planning on focusing the coupling on Ilya and Shiro for a few chapters but generally, this'll be a SaberXShiro pairing  
**Storm Dragon Girl - **btw, I made a mistake in counting. The explanation about Berserker (and the others) will come after this chapter... hehe

Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Now, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night...

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Legendary Argonauts**

The dark clouds had taken their place in the heavens. Circe's menacing figure hovered above them, her face darkened by the clouds. Archer had recovered from his sudden burst of anger whereas Shirō, Rin and Ilya stood below the mage in great anticipation.

Archer had nonchalantly walked towards Rin's backyard to increase the battlefield size.

"Circe… Are you really that intent on looking for your executioner?" finally spoke Archer in his sardonic tone. This made Circe laugh mockingly.

"You still have the guts to go against me? You're either that stupid or that scared that you have to taunt me in order to increase your courage," she replied mockingly.

Archer was unfazed by the insult. He even smiled, albeit sarcastically, at her.

"Me? Afraid of you? Don't be so stupid. Only Berserker can scare me, and let me tell you, it isn't his power that I'm afraid off," he retorted.

"Insolence at the brink of death? You really are asking for trouble, you little whelp!" exclaimed Circe.

"Damn it! Stop this useless bantering and let's get going! We still have Medea to save! And I'm not waiting for her ugly face to get any uglier before we rescue Medea and Fuyuki," said Rin in an outburst. Everyone was startled by her actions. Archer, however, found it amusing.

"Fine, fine. I shall not disappoint you, master Rin," he said. It was funny to note that Archer did not sarcastically call Rin his master.

"Impudent buffoons! Do you not know who you are dealing with?!" exclaimed Circe, her temper rising. Archer and the rest decided to ignore her.

"Emiya, trace Kanshō and Bakuya and follow my lead. Rin, you and Ilya sneak upstairs and prepare your arsenal of magic jewels. I'll tell you when you should fire," spoke Archer charismatically. Rin nodded and proceeded to lead Ilya upstairs, avoiding the debris Circe created.

Shirō glanced momentarily at Saber's unconscious figure. Her pained expression made him boil in anger instead of pity. Now filled with a purpose, Shirō darted towards the field and met Archer there.

"Trace Kanshō and Bakuya now," half-whispered Archer. He himself had traced the twin blades beforehand and was ready to attack. Suddenly, rain poured from the clouds and lightning started to flash in and out.

"Perfect weather for battle, don't you agree?" commented Shiro. Archer nodded, amused and surprised by his calm demeanor.

"On the count of three, throw Kanshō and Bakuya," he suddenly said, this time his tone was serious. Shirō nodded and stood his ground. The wind was blowing forcefully; the rainwater was making him shiver due to the cold.

Shirō did not bother to inquire as to why Archer ran at top speed at a random direction, leaving him there. He obediently waited for his signal.

"One!" he exclaimed throwing the twin blades into the air. Circe avoided it with ease. These blades, however, continuously spun in the air, flying like birds.

"Two!" shouted Archer after running towards another seemingly random direction. While he was running, he had traced Kanshō and Bakuya and as soon as he shouted, he threw the twin blades towards Circe as he slid into place. She, however, evaded them again. Similar to the first, they spun around and flew around Circe, slowly growing closer without Circe's knowledge.

"Three!" he bellowed and ran towards Shirō. He, in turn, threw his own pair of Kanshō and Bakuya in a similar fashion. They darted towards Circe who quickly avoided the pair but had made contact with the other two.

"Damn blades!" she exclaimed as she was consecutively hit by the blades which she futilely tried to defend against using her scepter.

From the far end of the backyard, Archer had traced a jet black bow with a matching jet black, serrated, arrow-like sword. It was sleek and was clutched tightly by Archer.

Circe was still trying to fend off the blades when Shirō saw Archer string the bow and sword. He had a maddening and furious glint in his eye, which were rarely displayed by Archer.

"That's it!" exclaimed Circe suddenly and her scepter shone a brilliant violet. The three pairs of Kanshō and Bakuya were incinerated on the spot, the ash blown away by the wind. She had her eyes set on Archer's previous location but lost sight of him.

"Now!" he shouted and Shirō suddenly felt compelled to look in Archer's direction. Circe had turned to see the origin of the shout and she was greeted by the sight of an arrow-like thing heading her way. She was in no means capable of avoiding the attack.

"Take that with you to the underworld, you damn witch!" shouted Archer with fury in his eyes. Shirō had looked at Archer strangely, as if seeing him for the first time. This infuriated side of Archer was a rare spectacle.

Archer's face was intensified by the heavy downpour of rain. His eyes were burning with fury and rage; calloused hands tightly griping the bow, unwilling to let go. His face was fierce; eyes glaring at Circe.

The wind had formed around the arrow, creating a cyclone-like force around it. It hit Circe, piercing the joint in between her shoulder and arm. The part bled profusely, and she yelped in agony. Her scepter had dropped to the ground due to the fact that her right arm was incapable of holding it.

"Damn it, I missed," said Archer dejectedly. Shirō stood agape at what he heard. Was Archer really becoming that ruthless?

"Archer!" exclaimed Circe loudly, practically surpassing the noise of the winds and rains. She flew downwards to acquire her scepter. Archer snickered at her attempt.

"Rin! Ilya! Now!" he exclaimed and jumped backwards. From the second floor of the Tōsaka estate, Rin and Ilya threw the magical jewels that had been entrusted to them to throw. A downpour of jewels hit Circe several times, continuing her agony.

"Undo the curse, Circe," commanded Archer calmly though he was bubbling with rage inside. She merely flashed a weak, agonized smiled.

"Do…you… really… expect me… to do… such a thing…?" she said in a weakened and pained tone. Shirō was brought to pity despite her reply but Archer stood firmly.

"Are you that adamant? Are you that unwilling to retract the curse you have inflicted?" asked Archer spitefully. Circe laughed weakly at this, coughing blood in the process.

Her whole body was disheveled by the barrage of magic jewels and Shirō and Archer's attack on her. The rain was washing down the blood from her shoulder, aside from the other wounds she had suffered. She was a ghastly sight but her pride would not let down.

"I… stand by… my word…" she said proudly and in agony. Shirō could not take anymore of the sight. He wanted to interject but felt immobile under Archer's aura.

"I will not hesitate to kill you, Circe," stated Archer bluntly. Rin and Ilya, who had stopped the barrage a while ago, fled downstairs in haste to check upon Circe's condition. The cold look in Archer's eyes frightened them both once they caught a glimpse of it.

"Then do it already," said a voice from amidst the rain. It was strangely audible despite the heavy downpour.

"Who's there?" sought Shirō. Archer had not moved since his previous statement.

"You just don't have the guts to kill her, do you? What was it… your principle of Justice or some crazy ideal like that?" taunted the voice. The other three were scanning the whole area rapidly but they did not find the voice's origin.

"Listen Archer. If you will not kill her, then I will…" he said demonically. It was at this point that Circe shivered in fright. The immense pain and the freezing rain were nothing to her, but hearing those words made her cower in fear.

"You have failed, Circe," stated the voice. From the shadows, a dark figure suddenly loomed, revealing himself to them. He had a vampire's disposition. His eyes were a daunting red, the pupils similar to mere slits. His gleaming white fangs were sticking out from his mouth, his face a pale white color that was hungry for red blood. He was clothed in traditional vampire clothing and bats had accompanied him as he presented himself.

"I cannot tolerate this," he merely said and pointed his finger at her. His nails were painted black and were lengthy compared to human fingernails.

"Die," he whispered and dark black energy was released from his fingertip. It completely enveloped Circe's whole body. Many screams were heard from the confinement of the dark chamber but it soon died down.

"I need only the staff to further enhance your pain…" he said. The six bats floating around him quickly flew to fetch the scepter which Archer had forgotten to acquire. Circe had finally been released from the darkness, but not a single trace of her could be found.

"We shall meet again," said the Vampire-like creature and disappeared. The rain was starting to subside but the battle-worn warriors stood their ground.

They were all speechless, not to mention undeniably weary. The flashes of lightning had ceased for the time being and the rain had settled to a weak drizzle. It was, however, far from a victory.

* * *

"Well, this'll take a few weeks to fix…" said Rin wearily and sighed. She plopped herself on the sofa adjacent to the one Saber was on. Shirō was sitting on a wooden stool while Archer stood in the corner of the shattered and disarranged living room. Many glass shards had scattered, the wall of the living room bore a whole on it. The wind freely entered, creating a chilling atmosphere. 

"Ilya, where are Sakura and Taiga?" asked Rin. Ilya was apparently looking for something, more specifically someone.

"That's what I'm trying to find out…," she said sullenly and let out a sigh. "The last time I saw them was before we fought Circe and Berserker…"

"What?!" exclaimed Rin, suddenly standing up. Shirō finally returned to reality and looked at Ilya, surprised to hear what she had just said.

"No way…" mouthed Shirō as he barely had the ability to speak.

"M-maybe they just went out or something?" said Ilya. Rin frowned at her suggestion.

"It's been a day already, I believe. Unless you saw them earlier this morning?" asked Rin. Ilya shook her head grimly.

"It's a bit ironic, actually. We actually get to see the grail after he told us we'd see him again," said Archer wryly from his dreary corner.

"We don't exactly know where they are, now do we?" shot Rin angrily.

"This gives us the perfect opportunity to search the city, right?" said Archer. Rin sighed angrily.

"Archer…!" she started but was cut-off when they heard Saber's moan. She had finally woken up.

"Yeah… the perfect time to search for the grail's location…" she said rather weakly.

"Saber, you shouldn't force yourself…" said Shirō concernedly. Saber smiled gently at him and forced herself to stand up.

"The pain has subsided momentarily. We need to search for the grail immediately in order to locate Sakura and Ms. Fujimura," said Saber, her strength returning to her.

"But Saber-" interrupted Shirō but Saber quickly cut her off.

"Now is not the time, Shirō. Sakura and Taiga might be in danger," she argued.

"You can't! You should rest! We'll go!" he argued back.

"None of you are fit to fight the grail. I, however, have rested sufficiently and am capable of aiding you," she retorted, her strength returning.

The heated argument was suddenly interrupted by Ilya as she sighed deeply. A smile formed on her face and she suddenly bowed to Saber. The latter was surprised to see such behavior.

"We are your knights, King Arthur, and we shall follow you to the death," said Ilya, half-hearted in tone but speaking sincerely.

"To the end," said Rin plainly, smiling as she ended her sentence.

"Well then, Emiya. It seems your verdict is the only one we are awaiting…" said Archer. Shirō was at a standstill. He did not know whether he should push through or concede and flee.

He felt his mind clashing with his heart. There were numerous ideas forming in his mind and he felt an uneasy fear envelop him.

With an uneasy and heavy sigh, Shirō bowed his head.

"Well… I can't do anything about that, can I?" he said jokingly. The faces of the others light up immediately, Archer excluded.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

"Berserker, come," he commanded. The grail was cloaked; neither face nor feet could be seen. 

The giant servant followed him unquestioningly. Berserker was holding something large, human-like in shape. They were somewhere in the outskirts of Fuyuki, a rather forested but isolated location.

"Master, w-what are we doing here?" asked Berserker hesitantly. The Grail did not speak but continued walking.

The silence was deafening, chilling to the bone. He decided to ask once again their purpose for coming here.

"Master, I do not wish to be insolent but I wish to know what we are doing here," he said, softer than his previous tone.

"For twilight, of course," he replied nonchalantly. Before he had the opportunity to ask anything specific, the grail stopped abruptly. He almost collided with him but stopped at the nick of time.

Before them was a large servant summoning circle. Four obelisks were positioned at each direction and a mana gemstone floated above each obelisk.

"Lay her on the circle so we may begin," he commanded. Berserker quickly complied. He placed the slumbering, or more likely unconscious, Medea on the circle.

"Now…stand inside the circle…" he said. Berserker slowly made his way to the circle, fearing his fate. The grail impatiently growled which became the reason for Berserker's hastened pace.

"Everything's set and twilight has begun…" he said, smiling suddenly. "It'll only hurt for a bit… Now, on with the ceremony…"

The grail's flying bats suddenly materialized into view and flew quickly to his side. Circe's scepter was on top of the swarm and the grail need only pick it up.

Slowly but surely, he made a grab for the scepter. It was as if he was unbelieving of what he was about to do. Nevertheless, he raised the scepter in question and commenced the chant.

**Powers of Twilight, I beckon thee!**

The summoning circle started to light up. Its bloody red color shone brilliantly amidst the now setting sun.

**Bequeath your powers, shatter thy soul!**

The mana gemstones suddenly shone vigorously and started to fill with energy. The sun was only half visible now.

**Bring to naught, reform and reshape!**

The gemstones were now engulfed in green fire, and the obelisks started to shimmer. Medea's body was now being lifted up into the air by some unknown force.

Berserker suddenly froze in place as the Holy Grail gazed at him. Just from the grail's malevolent smile, Berserker knew he was going to be killed.

"Curse of Death!" he muttered. An angel wearing death's cloak suddenly materialized before Berserker. The former materialized a scythe and sliced Berserker in half. Physical, he was not injured. However, the grail's attack had penetrated all of Berserker's defenses and had claimed his life in an instant.

"I can not summon the Argonauts if one of the crew still breathes…" he said to himself and continued with the ceremony.

**Depths of the ocean, cry in agony!**

**From the ashes of Hades and the clouds of Olympus **

**I summon… the Argonauts!**

Luminous light quickly enveloped the Holy Grail and the bodies of both Medea and Berserker. The altar-like set-up shone with such intensity that it was seen from the far ends of Fuyuki city.

* * *

"Don't tell me…" said Ilya, fearing the worst as she saw the light. She was accompanied by Rin and Archer, both standing behind her. They, too, were at a loss for words. 

The blinding light had enveloped a large portion of Fuyuki that practically everyone noticed this. The sky, however, was a beautiful blue, signifying the hour of twilight. The Grail, having done the summoning ceremony successfully, had prevented night from overshadowing all of Japan.

"Well, one thing's for sure… the Grail really likes to go all out…" commented Archer, smiling to conceal the fears that had built up.

Rin had sighed to conceal her amusement of Archer's comment, though she was heard faintly giggling

"Well, there's nothing more we can do but charge," she said nonchalantly.

"We don't have that much back-up so don't expect me to come and save you when you're outnumbered," said Archer.

"You're all talk, aren't you?" said Rin. "Just take us there and we'll try not to get in your way," she added albeit sarcastically.

Archer shrugged the sarcasm and took hold of both Rin and Ilya by the waist. Ilya was startled by his hold but relaxed after a few moments. Rin was used to it so she didn't react much at all.

"Hold on," were his final words before leaping a few hundred feet into the air and jumping from building to building.

* * *

"Saber, let's go," said Shirō. Saber nodded and followed after him. They were already near the origin of the light so they need not have traveled as Archer and the rest did. 

"Is this…?" asked Shirō but trailed off. His answer was already before him. Around fifty servants stood before them, all seemingly bearing a blank expression.

"Welcome," said the Holy Grail in a deep and calm tone.

He was floating in mid air while a swarm of bats was below him, acting as his throne.

"You're… the Holy Grail?" asked Shirō, slightly shivering.

"Correct, child. From ages past, I was already fascinated by this fictional creature. So, I decided to take this opportunity to materialize my own creation of the dreaded denizen of the night, the Vampiric manifestation. I prey on women and divulge in their fresh, luscious blood. Simply put…"

"You're Dracula…" said Shirō grimly.

"Dracula?" wondered Saber. Dracula, despite his age, came about a lot later than Saber did so she had no knowledge of him.

"Dracula was a powerful vampire in Europe. He, unlike most monsters, was featured with the grace, wit and charm of an aristocratic European. He has been credited with numerous powers, and was accused, and proven, guilty of biting a woman by the name of Mina Harker," explained a feminine voice.

"Rin!" exclaimed Shirō sighting them as they landed.

"I guess we came a little too late," she said and sighed. She made it seem that this wasn't such a big deal.

"Then so, I need not have made the lengthy introduction…" he said. It was definitely true that he had the European accent but the way he spoke was something unearthly.

"I didn't expect you to choose this form," commented Rin in an amused tone.

"Expect the Unexpected, as they say…"

"Anyway, we're here to put an end to this anarchy… We've lost so much sleep just because of you…" said Rin. The grail merely snickered.

"Very well. Defeat my servant and we shall see who the true victor is," he said and vanished from view.

"Servant…?" wondered Shirō. Suddenly, the earth shook violently as numerous cracks started to form.

"I was never one for grand entrances," said Archer and quickly took hold of Rin and Ilya in order for them not to be caught in the earth's sundering.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Saber and they both dashed out of harm's way. Well, Saber dashed whereas Shirō ran.

"Despicable… horrendous… just plain ugly," muttered an Argonaut with long red hair. His bangs had covered his left eye and his arms were folded in a proud manner. He stood proudly, one reminiscent of Gilgamesh's proud stance.

"Anacaeus… you're really starting to get on my nerves…" replied another Argonaut, this time his demeanor was that of a warm and kind person. His hair was black in color and was shorter than Anacaeus', his bangs reaching only his eyebrows. He had warm blue eyes and a kind smile.

"Anacaeus, Argus, we're here on business…" said yet another Argonaut in a business-like tone.

His hair was a distinct shade of dark blue, barely visible in amidst the luminescent blue sky and was unbound by any hair accessory. His bangs fell neatly on his face, some, however, were longer than the others. The rest were held somewhat up, defying the laws of gravity. He, in other words, would be classified as a classic bishounen.

"Of course, Jason," replied Argus in an obedient tone. They all looked in the direction of Shirō and the group.

Hercules and Medea were among them but showed different expressions. Berserker's expression was that of regret, something very unusual. Medea's expression, however, was blank.

"We're not going to back down," said Shirō confidently, Saber, Archer, Ilya and Rin backing him up. Jason, leader of the Argonauts, stood charismatically, his fleet behind him. A smile had played on his lips but was not that of sarcasm.

"Then, we shall commence the duel to the death…"

* * *

I pictured the following as such: 

Anacaeus as somewhat similar to Leon Magnus from the Tales game Series  
Argus as someone similar to Hiraga Saito from Zero no Tsukaima  
And Jason as somewhat similar to Dark from D.N. Angel.

Dunno how well I described that but anyway... (yeah, I know, they're not originals - but I find it hard to fully conceptualize a new face when you can't draw well - or at all for that matter)

That's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it - and tell me by reviewing!


	10. The Argo Battleship of the Dead

Hi guys and gals! Chapter 10 is up (finally!)! I don't think I need say anymore so here's the chapter!

Oh! And by the way, thanks to everyone who reviewed (and read) this fic! I really appreciate it!

Kawazoe Kazuma - the ship'll appear in this chapter

Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or anything affiliated with it**

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Argo – Battleship of the Dead**

"Well, let's get this over with," said Jason, the leader of the Argonauts. He stood readily, his sword unsheathed.

"Fine by me," retorted Archer nonchalantly. In truth, his attention was caught by the ritual circle used by the Holy Grail. It was, in his opinion, a bit too cultic. Shivers graced his spine as he tried to recall why he had such an ominous feeling about that particular set-up.

"Argonauts, attack!" Jason exclaimed, raising his sword fiercely. His crew charged at Archer and the rest.

"I'll take command here so nobody argue, got it?" spoke Archer his tone telling them he wouldn't take no for an answer. They all merely nodded. Either way, he would be the one to lead anyway.

"Shirō, trace Kanshō and Bakuya and follow my lead," he said as he started to trace his own pair of the blades.

"Rin, use Gand while Ilya throws your magical jewels at them, but do not do so until they're within hitting range,"

Ilya and Rin nodded. The jewels had already been given to Ilya so there was no need to fret.

"Saber, assist me and Shirō as we charge. Don't hesitate to use Excalibur or any of your Noble Phantasms," said Archer as his final command. Saber nodded at her orders.

"Let's go,"

Archer, quick as lightning, dashed towards the incoming force of the Argonauts. Shirō followed behind, although he was lagging as he couldn't keep up with the speed. Saber purposely slowed down in order for her to be able to keep track of Shirō and at the same time back-up Archer.

"What, a mere charge battle?" asked Jason loud enough for Archer to hear. The latter snickered.

"Well, you gotta start somewhere," he retorted, his sarcastic smile unfading.

"Heh, guess you're right," replied Jason. He stopped in mid-run, his crew stopping as well. However, three Servants jumped ahead of them, landing in such a way that trapped Archer between the three.

"So, let's see who we have here…" he said, mocking the set-up. "The fabled Hercules…"

He stopped as the giant launched an attack at him, after which he was joined by the two other servants. Archer, having no other option until Saber and Shirō got there, merely defended himself from their attacks.

"… Next we have a Lancer class, I guess…" he said, his smile still unfading. "Oh, and a female one at that," he added.

The female Lancer class servant launched a barrage of thrusts at Archer. He either blocked or dodged the barrage will trying to keep some distance between Berserker's attacks and the Lancer's thrusts.

"…Finally, a… err… Saber class? Or is it a Rider class? I really can't tell," spoke Archer, his tone belittling the servant. This unknown servant wielded a sword, but that couldn't be the basis of his servant class.

Both Berserker and the unknown servant launched slash after slash, swipe after swipe while the Lancer class continuously kept Archer on edge with succeeding thrusts that seemed like no end.

"_Damn… What's taking them so long?_" he thought as he parried an attack made by Berserker and dodged a thrust made by the Lancer class.

"_It'll only be a matter of time 'till they hit me… But what's up with this? Is that Jason really relying on these three alone or is he messing with our attack. They moved somewhere distant but why…_"

"Excalibur!" exclaimed Saber, her sword unleashing a golden wave of blinding light. Archer quickly jumped out of harm's way, but so did the three.

"Sheesh, what took you so long?" asked Archer in an annoyed tone. Shirō was panting slightly, the distance seemingly too long for him. Or was it fatigue finally starting to kick in?

"We apologize for the delay," said Saber calmly as she swung her sword towards Berserker. The latter parried the attack and attempted to kick Saber. The skilled knight was easily able to avoid such a move but it bothered her how Berserker could move so fast.

"Excalibur!" she, once again, bellowed. The Noble Phantasm made contact with Berserker, annihilating one of the twelve lives granted by his Noble Phantasm.

From over a distance, several clashing weapons could be heard. It was Archer's consecutive blows against the Lancer class' consecutive thrusts in one side and Shirō's slashes against the unknown servant's swipes on the other.

Three consecutive battles were being fought but neither side had bothered to look at Jason and the Argonauts.

"What's happening over there?" asked Ilya as tried to see the battles ensuing.

"Argh! Never mind his command about the damn hitting range! Let's just sneak through the woods and ambush the others!" said Rin in an energetic but slightly irate manner.

"Well, how would we be able to ambush -" started Ilya but cut herself off. Rin had already sprinted towards a rather forested area of the location.

Ilya sighed before following the hotheaded Rin. She had a feeling this would somehow backfire and cost them the battle.

"Where are the Argonauts?" asked Shirō as he fended off another attack made by his opponent. Swing, swing, thrust, slash came the attacks of Shirō's opponent. Though only barely, he was able to keep up with his opponent's onslaught.

"_They're planning something. This guy's going easy on me…_" thought Shirō. His mind wandered as a myriad of thoughts raced through his head as to what the Argonauts were planning. It was difficult to say but one thing was sure – he needed to get to them ASAP.

"Hyaah!" shouted Saber to accompany her swing. It seemed like Berserker was barely attacking. It was perplexing as why an aggressive servant like him was merely defending himself against Saber's blows and not retaliating.

"_I'll need to get past Berserker in order to get to the Argonauts…_" she thought, unknowingly in synch with Shirō's thoughts.

"Take this!" exclaimed Archer. He spun around, creating a blade tornado-like effect which caught his opponent off-guard. In one quick swoop, he relinquished the weapon from Lancer's grasp.

"Darn…" she muttered, earning a sadistic-like smile from Archer.

"Farewell," he said, jumping above her. In the process, he managed to trace his favorite jet black bow and serrated sword-like arrow. As he got to the height of his jumped, he immediately fired the bow. The Lancer class servant was caught by surprise and, unable to retaliate, was hit squarely on the chest, piercing through her.

The servant fell to the floor with a loud thump, bathing in her own blood. Archer, on the other hand, merely fled the scene and rushed to the location of the Argonauts.

"Rin! Over there!" exclaimed Ilya softly as she sighted the Argonauts. They were motionless but restless. It was like they were protecting something but trying, and failing, to act as if they were merely on standby.

"Looks very suspicious. Use a tri-attack, with whatever elements you have, on them," said Rin. Ilya faced her with a confused look.

"What I mean is, use throw three elemental jewels at them!" she amended. Ilya merely sighed.

"Gosh, have you been watching Pokemon again?" she teased but quickly moved closer to the Argonauts, and farther from Rin, to throw the jewels.

"That little brat!" she said through gritted teeth. Several styles of torture quickly raced through her mind but she thought that it should wait until everything here was over.

"Which one should I hit?" asked Ilya as Rin approached her. She took a minute to analyze them. She then noticed an incoming servant, but she didn't know who. Leaving things to chance, she instructed Ilya where to throw the jewels.

"The closest side to yours," said Rin. Ilya nodded and threw six, more than what Rin had originally said, magic jewels at them. It made contact and powerful explosion came about. Flames erupted from nowhere, a few Argonauts were frozen and a few weakened by the explosion.

"Nice, but I think you overdid it…" said Rin. Ilya shrugged.

"Whatever gets the job done, right?" she replied with a huge smile.

"Look there, by the trees!" ordered Jason. A few of his unhurt soldiers moved closer towards Rin and Ilya's current location. A sudden move made by them could result in them being found. However, not moving at all may get them into more danger.

"Not on my watch!" exclaimed Archer. Upon hearing this, Ilya and Rin sighed with relief.

It took no more than a mere ten seconds to finish off the three Argonauts. Archer stood ground afterwards, facing Jason and his Argonauts.

"Protect them at all costs!" exclaimed Jason before charging into the fray himself. Many of his soldiers followed, but five of them remained.

"Attack!" Jason exclaimed.

"A little desperate, aren't we?" Archer taunted. He dodged strike after strike; slash after slash with great skill. However, he could not retaliate due to the speed being displayed by Jason and his unconscious way of not leaving any openings.

"Take this!" shouted Ilya as an array of jewels rained down on the other Argonauts that were attacking. It did minimal damage, however, but it gave Archer some time to take the offensive as Jason was caught off-guard.

Archer attacked vigorously, not stopping for pause each time his hit made contact. Possessing twin blades reduced his attack delay by half, giving barely enough time for Jason to calculate his attacks, let alone block it.

"It's over," said Archer. A quick double attack was what pierced through Jason's defenses. His shield had blocked the first attack but he wasn't able to parry the quick, second attack. He toppled over as Archer had hit his leg, greatly restricting his movement. It was enough to hinder any leg movement for a great deal of time.

"Nice strike, Archer," complimented Jason. "However, my task is done – the Argo has been summoned!"

The earth shook and started to shatter. Rays of bleak black and radiant yellow pierced through the cracks on the earth. Several stones started to swirl on their own, but were most probably aided by the winds that had started to blow.

"Let us fight on our territory, Archer. You won't be able to be as complacent as you are now…" said Jason ominously.

"Archer! The summoners are over there! It seems they aren't done so if we hinder them now, we may be able to stop this outbreak!" shouted Saber over the roars of thunder and heavy downpour of rain that had come from nowhere.

"Done!" he replied quickly. With haste, he traced his sleek bow and serrated arrow. He prepared to strike, his eyes focused at the two Argonauts that were being defended by a wall made by the other Argonauts.

"It's useless!" howled Jason amidst the rain he seemingly savored in. His hair had been disarranged and his whole body was drenched yet this did not deter his or his warriors' determination.

"Well, let's see _**how **_useless my Noble Phantasm is, shall we…" whispered Archer with a rather sly smile. He launched the arrow which was, afterwards, followed by Saber's own Excalibur.

"Defend Tiphys and Anacaeus! They must not fall!" exclaimed an Argonaut warrior. The soldiers shouted something that was Greek – a language which none of them, aside the Argonauts, understood.

"Let's see how strong your defense is against my own attack," said Archer softly. It was inaudible except to himself as the mix of the howling winds and roaring thunder made it impossible to hear.

The arrow killed the first hindrance, which was a soldier who had worn his helmet, making his face unseen. It pierced through his shield, however, and killed him. The arrow, however, still pursued its target and Archer wasn't relinquishing his hold on the bow and his stance was as it was.

"Wait…" suddenly said Jason to himself. He was a bit far from the ensuing battle but he knew what was going on.

"Ingenious, Archer…" he said. "I never thought you'd be capable of that… A target-seeking arrow? Magnificent…"

As Jason watched, several Argonauts had fallen. Several corpses lay lifeless on the ground. This was due to Saber's Excalibur, Ilya's magical jewels and Rin's Gand accompanied by Archer's Noble Phantasm Hrunting.

"However, it still needs some work…" he remarked, laughing slightly. He gazed at the battlefield, where many of his Argonauts lay lifeless.

"I've always hated this hassle… It shouldn't take this long to summon a boat…"

"I'll be forced to use my Noble Phantasm… damn…"

* * *

"Gilgamesh, what do require from me?" asked the Holy Grail as he gazed outside his window. As always, he kept the room to its darkest, except for a single lamp that did nothing but reveal Gilgamesh, wearing his golden armor.

"I seek to ask a few things, if you may…" said Gilgamesh calmly but politely, which was strange even to his ears.

"What would ask of me?" replied the Grail, still not looking at Gilgamesh.

"Why _**did **_you summon the Argonauts?" he asked first, thinking it would be best to approach his desired topic slow.

"Isn't it simple? I needed a powerful servant – one that had regenerative properties…"

"If that was what you wanted, why not summon another servant capable of such a feat. I mean, there are a lot of epic spirits out there capable of regenerating at insane speeds, and some of them are much more powerful than the Argonauts…"

"You are mistaken, Gilgamesh. I do not want regeneration like Saber's or any other Servants' for that matter. For you see… the Argonauts', specifically Jason's, regeneration, if you could actually call it that, are… _**unique**_…"

* * *

"Fallen Warriors! Assemble!" hollered Jason at the top of his lungs. Archer, Saber and the others' ceased attacking to look at Jason. They were startled, surprised at the most, to have heard him yell like that. However, it felt more like a battle cry than a plea.

* * *

"What do you mean?" asked Gilgamesh. The Holy Grail smiled, but Gilgamesh was not able to see this.

"When Jason feels the need to, he will use his Noble Phantasm. I prefer to call it "Rise of the Fallen" but, of course, he didn't like it …"

"What does it do?" further prompted Gilgamesh.

"Resurrection…"

"Resurrection…?!"

"Yes, resurrection… Not only that, also all those remaining living Argonauts are healed of all wounds. Additionally, they are augmented to the point of seemingly becoming like gods in their own right. If, for example, Hercules was to be resurrected by Jason's Noble Phantasm, he'd have power comparable to that of Zeus…"

"Is that the reason why he could fully utilize his Noble Phantasms…?" asked Gilgamesh, struck with awe.

"Yes…"

"But wait; wasn't Berserker summoned _**before **_the Argonauts?"

"You are mistaken, Gilgamesh. Jason was the very first servant I had summoned. No doubt you didn't know about this. Anyway, I instructed him to summon Berserker earlier back, saving me the trouble of the summoning process and all that. I told him to hold back every time I sent him on a mission but it would seem that he'd get a bit carried away every time and use "Nine Lives". Oh well…"

"_How are they going to defeat such an enemy…_" though Gilgamesh. He sighed inaudibly before proceeding to his next question.

* * *

All standing, and glowing white as snow, the Argonauts stood their ground. Their leader, Jason, approached the rest of the group who were defending the two summoners.

"Damn… this really takes up time… Just when you think it's about to pop out, you get nothing but a rain shower…" commented an Argonaut having long black locks. He seemed almost female, his voice a pitch higher than the others.

"You never were patient, were you Bellerophon?" remarked Jason as he stepped in front of the group.

"Anyway, the time has come! Argonauts, raise your weapons and prepare for battle!" he exclaimed, increasing the overall morale of the group.

"Well, since you're that pumped already, how about I kill you all again?" said Archer arrogantly.

"Give us your best shot, but make it quick – our battlefield is about to appear…" replied Jason.

"Hyaah!" exclaimed Archer, firing instantly the arrow he had strung a while back. It swiftly pierced through the rough, harsh winds and headed straight for Jason's head.

"Now!" commanded Jason. An Argonaut having short brown hair and light red eyes suddenly started chanting.

"Aphrodite!" he ended, suddenly placing them under a barrier. The arrow Archer had fired tried to pierce through the barrier, his bow constantly held in order for it to continuously pursue its enemy.

Saber decided to join in and try to break the barrier. She unleashed Excalibur in a flash, which was accompanied by Ilya and Rin's magicks.

"Well, this'll be a petty contribution, but it is what it is," said Shirō to himself. He threw his pair of Kanshō and Bakuya into the air in a fashion similar to Archer's.

All the assaults landed hits on the barrier but it just wouldn't break. With each assault, Archer, Shirō, Saber, Rin and Ilya grew strangely weaker and weaker…

* * *

"Oh, and another bonus factor of the Argonauts is that most of the crew is a descendant of one of the lustful Greek gods, while others are in great favor with those gods…" said the Holy Grail, still staring blankly at the moonlit sky.

"What about it?" asked Gilgamesh. The Grail merely smiled, despite it not being seen by Gilgamesh.

"Simple. Their Noble Phantasms are twice as powerful since they're drawing it from the gods themselves. For example, take Butes, an Argonaut in great favor with Aphrodite. At will, he can summon a powerful, nearly impenetrable barrier to protect himself or a large group. Also, this barrier drains energy from its surroundings. With that in mind, it doesn't matter if mana is channeled to the barrier or not since it has its own power source…"

"But… o-out of curiosity, how do you pierce it? I mean, you did say it was impenetrable…"

"Simple, you kill off its power source... or sources, it depends upon the situation. The energy absorption is limited, reaching only a 2 mile radius…"

"So you'd have to kill anything nearby?" asked Gilgamesh

"That or you could simple transport yourself inside the barrier. Butes must remain in contact with Aphrodite for it to exist, otherwise it crumbles," replied the Grail.

"Transport? I thought it was impenetrable…"

"It is, but only to outside physical force. Basically, it's impossible to get in – but incredibly easy to get out…"

"But the only setback to the Argonauts is that their Ultimate Noble Phantasm takes a great deal of time, but it is incredibly powerful…"

"But the battle could be over by then…" though Gilgamesh out loud. At this, the Grail snickered.

"Gilgamesh, I had no idea you were so naïve… The Argonauts see to it that they unleash the Argo before the battle ends. With that, they can capture new recruits. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw dear Circe there…"

"Circe…!?"

"I'm merely joking, of course… But once the Argo is summoned, you shouldn't lose to the Argonauts there, unless you want to join his army…"

"Such a fearsome opponent…"

* * *

"It's done, Jason…" said an Argonaut. His features could not be discerned due to the fact that he had covered his face with his helmet.

"Finally!" exclaimed Bellerophon. Butes had removed the barrier and the crew formed three straight lines, their weapons raised.

"The Argo… has come to claim another victim…" taunted Jason. Shirō and Archer, seemingly having the same idea, charged at them since the barrier had dispersed. Rin, Ilya and Saber were not as reckless since they decided to remain behind.

"Let's go, Emiya!" exclaimed Archer as the charged head on. Jason snickered at the sight.

"Argo, RISE FROM THE DEPTHS!" exclaimed Jason with all his might. It was heard clearly despite the thundering roars coming from the heavens.

The cracks that had formed previously grew larger. Several eruptions of glistening and flashing lights poured from the depths of the earth. A large, brown ship started to rise. Archer and Shirō were caught in its wake so they were now standing on its deck.

The rows of Argonauts that had stood on the ground were quickly being teleported on board. Saber, Rin and Ilya also felt this sensation as they were hastily placed on the ship.

The ship itself was a massive construct, inarguably larger than its original design. The simple perfection of its design was astounding. A feature that stood out among the rest was its bow. It was carved in the image of a beautiful and elegant woman and it seemed as if it was actually alive.

"Welcome to the Argo, Archer, Shirō, Saber…" said Jason. "We hope you'll feel comfortable joining our ranks…"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Shirō, slightly outraged. Jason merely smiled.

"Once we defeat you here, you'll permanently be cast as a member of the Argonauts and be an aid every time we summon this massive ship,"

"Well, we'll just have to see who beats who, now won't we?" replied Archer with a smile.

"So we shall…"

* * *

So, how was it? Good? Bad? Midway? Tell me what you think by reviewing!'

My depiction of the Argo was (well, I believe it was) different from the actual description of the ship so don't criticize me there! hehe - but other than that is fine

That ends this chapter! And I'll be starting a new arc pretty soon (if I can get myself to do it, that is...)

See ya in the next chapter!


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